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Abstract:

In FIG. 1, upon reading out a document file that stores the information
that serves as a key for acquiring fragments, a document processing
apparatus 20 acquires a definition file associated with the document
file. The definition file specifies a rule used for acquiring the
fragments from other document files based upon the key stored in the
document file. The document processing apparatus 20 reads out
sub-document files based upon the key specified in the document file and
the rule specified in the definition file. The document processing
apparatus 20 arranges these fragments thus acquired so as to build a
virtual document, and presents the virtual document thus built to the
user.

Claims:

1. A data processing apparatus comprising:means which acquires a first
data file that stores information that serves as a key for integrating
data and a definition file that stores a rule for integrating the data
stored in a second data file based upon the key; andmeans which
integrates and presents the data stored in the second data file based
upon the key and the rule.

2. A data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first
data file stores the information that serves as a plurality of keys,and
wherein said means, which integrates and presents the data stored in the
second data file, integrates and presents the data stored in a plurality
of second data files determined based upon the rule and the plurality of
keys.

3. A data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
definition file stores the information for identifying the component
parts of the second data file,and wherein the data is the data of the
component parts of the second data file.

4. A data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to add new
data to the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means,
and an instruction to remove a part of the data; andmeans which adds or
removes the information, which is stored in the first data file and which
serves as a key, according to the instruction thus input.

5. A data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to edit
the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means; andmeans
which modifies the second data file that stores the data, according to
the editing instruction.

6. A data processing method comprising:acquiring a first data file that
stores information that serves as a key for integrating data and a
definition file that stores a rule for integrating the data stored in a
second data file based upon the key; andintegrating and presenting the
data stored in the second data file based upon the key and the rule.

7. A computer program product comprising:a module which acquires a first
data file that stores information that serves as a key for integrating
data and a definition file that stores a rule for integrating the data
stored in a second data file based upon the key; anda module which
integrates and presents the data stored in the second data file based
upon the key and the rule.

8. A data processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
definition file stores the information for identifying the component
parts of the second data file,and wherein the data is the data of the
component parts of the second data file.

9. A data processing apparatus according to claim 2, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to add new
data to the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means,
and an instruction to remove a part of the data; andmeans which adds or
removes the information, which is stored in the first data file and which
serves as a key, according to the instruction thus input.

10. A data processing apparatus according to claim 3, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to add new
data to the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means,
and an instruction to remove a part of the data; andmeans which adds or
removes the information, which is stored in the first data file and which
serves as a key, according to the instruction thus input.

11. A data processing apparatus according to claim 8, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to add new
data to the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means,
and an instruction to remove a part of the data; andmeans which adds or
removes the information, which is stored in the first data file and which
serves as a key, according to the instruction thus input.

12. A data processing apparatus according to claim 2, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to edit
the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means; andmeans
which modifies the second data file that stores the data, according to
the editing instruction.

13. A data processing apparatus according to claim 3, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to edit
the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means; andmeans
which modifies the second data file that stores the data, according to
the editing instruction.

14. A data processing apparatus according to claim 4, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to edit
the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means; andmeans
which modifies the second data file that stores the data, according to
the editing instruction.

15. A data processing apparatus according to claim 8, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to edit
the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means; andmeans
which modifies the second data file that stores the data, according to
the editing instruction.

16. A data processing apparatus according to claim 9, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to edit
the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means; andmeans
which modifies the second data file that stores the data, according to
the editing instruction.

17. A data processing apparatus according to claim 10, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to edit
the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means; andmeans
which modifies the second data file that stores the data, according to
the editing instruction.

18. A data processing apparatus according to claim 11, further
comprising:means which allows the user to input an instruction to edit
the data thus integrated and presented by said presenting means; andmeans
which modifies the second data file that stores the data, according to
the editing instruction.

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]The present invention relates to a data processing technique, and
particularly to a data processing apparatus for processing structured
data and a data processing method applied to such a data processing
apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002]XML has been attracting attention as a format that allows the user
to share data with other users via a network. This encourages the
development of applications for creating, displaying, and editing XML
documents (see Patent document 1, for example). The XML documents are
created based upon a vocabulary (tag set) defined according to a document
type definition.

[Patent Document 1]

[0003]Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-290804

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004]The XML technique allows the user to define vocabularies as desired.
In theory, this allows a limitless number of vocabularies to be created.
It does not serve any practical purpose to provide dedicated
viewer/editor environments for such a limitless number of vocabularies.
Conventionally, when a user edits a document described in a vocabulary
for which there is no dedicated editing environment, the user is required
to directly edit the text-based source file of the document.

[0005]The present invention has been made in view of such a situation.
Accordingly, it is a general purpose of the present invention to provide
a technique for processing data structured by a markup language with
improved ease-of-use for the user.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

[0006]One embodiment according to the present invention relates to a data
processing apparatus. The data processing apparatus comprises: means
which acquires a first data file that stores information that serves as a
key for integrating data and a definition file that stores a rule for
integrating the data stored in a second data file based upon the key; and
means which integrates and presents the data stored in the second data
file based upon the key and the rule.

[0007]Another embodiment according to the present invention relates to a
data processing method. The data processing method comprises: acquiring a
first data file that stores information that serves as a key for
integrating data and a definition file that stores a rule for integrating
the data stored in a second data file based upon the key; and integrating
and presenting the data stored in the second data file based upon the key
and the rule.

[0008]Note that any combination of the aforementioned components or any
manifestation of the present invention realized by modification of a
method, device, system, and so forth, is effective as an embodiment of
the present invention.

[Advantages]

[0009]The present invention provides a technique for processing data
structured by a markup language with improved ease-of-use for the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]FIG. 1 is a diagram which shows a configuration of a document
processing apparatus according to the background technique.

[0011]FIG. 2 is a diagram which shows an example of an XML document which
is a processing target.

[0012]FIG. 3 is a diagram which shows an example in which the XML document
shown in FIG. 2 is mapped to a table described in HTML.

[0013]FIG. 4(a) is a diagram which shows an example of a definition file
used for mapping the XML document shown in FIG. 2 to the table shown in
FIG. 3.

[0014]FIG. 4(b) is a diagram which shows an example of a definition file
used for mapping the XML document shown in FIG. 2 to the table shown in
FIG. 3.

[0015]FIG. 5 is a diagram which shows an example of a screen on which the
XML document, which has been described in a marks managing vocabulary and
which is shown in FIG. 2, is displayed after having been mapped to HTML
according to the correspondence shown in FIG. 3.

[0016]FIG. 6 is a diagram which shows an example of a graphical user
interface provided by a definition file creating unit, which allows the
user to create a definition file.

[0017]FIG. 7 is a diagram which shows another example of a screen layout
created by the definition file creating unit.

[0018]FIG. 8 is a diagram which shows an example of an editing screen for
an XML document, as provided by the document processing apparatus.

[0019]FIG. 9 is a diagram which shows another example of an XML document
which is to be edited by the document processing apparatus.

[0020]FIG. 10 is a diagram which shows an example of a screen on which the
document shown in FIG. 9 is displayed.

[0021]FIG. 11(a) is a diagram which shows a basic configuration of a
document processing system.

[0022]FIG. 11(b) is a block diagram which shows an overall block
configuration of a document processing system.

[0023]FIG. 11(c) is a block diagram which shows an overall block
configuration of a document processing system.

[0024]FIG. 12 is a diagram which shows a document management unit in
detail.

[0025]FIG. 13 is a diagram which shows a vocabulary connection sub-system
in detail.

[0026]FIG. 14 is a diagram which shows a relation between a program
invoker and other components in detail.

[0027]FIG. 15 is a diagram which shows a structure of an application
service loaded to the program invoker in detail.

[0028]FIG. 16 is a diagram which shows a core component in detail.

[0029]FIG. 17 is a diagram which shows a document management unit in
detail.

[0030]FIG. 18 is a diagram which shows an undo framework and an undo
command in detail.

[0031]FIG. 19 is a diagram which shows the operation in which a document
is loaded to the document processing system.

[0032]FIG. 20 is a diagram which shows an example of a document and a
representation of the document.

[0033]FIG. 21 is a diagram which shows a relation between a model and a
controller.

[0034]FIG. 22 is a diagram which shows a plug-in sub-system, a vocabulary
connection, and a connector, in detail.

[0035]FIG. 23 is a diagram which shows an example of a VCD file.

[0036]FIG. 24 is a diagram which shows a procedure for loading a compound
document to the document processing system.

[0037]FIG. 25 is a diagram which shows a procedure for loading a compound
document to the document processing system.

[0038]FIG. 26 is a diagram which shows a procedure for loading a compound
document to the document processing system.

[0039]FIG. 27 is a diagram which shows a procedure for loading a compound
document to the document processing system.

[0040]FIG. 28 is a diagram which shows a procedure for loading a compound
document to the document processing system.

[0041]FIG. 29 is a diagram which shows a command flow.

[0042]FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram which shows the relation among the
files according to a first embodiment.

[0043]FIG. 31 is a diagram which shows an example of a screen in a case of
displaying a sales report in the form of a list according to the first
embodiment.

[0044]FIG. 32 is a diagram for describing the relation between an example
of a list display screen that displays a group e-mail and replies and the
sub-document files according to a second embodiment.

[0045]FIG. 33 is a diagram which shows an overall configuration of a
system including a document processing apparatus according to a third
embodiment.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0046]20 document processing apparatus

[0047]22 main control unit

[0048]24 editing unit

[0049]30 DOM unit

[0050]32 DOM provider

[0051]34 DOM builder

[0052]36 DOM writer

[0053]40 CSS unit

[0054]42 CSS parser

[0055]44 CSS provider

[0056]46 rendering unit

[0057]50 HTML unit

[0058]52, 62 control unit

[0059]54, 64 editing unit

[0060]56, 66 display unit

[0061]60 SVG unit

[0062]70 annotation unit

[0063]72 annotation detection unit

[0064]74 annotation display unit

[0065]76 annotation adding unit

[0066]78 acquisition unit

[0067]80 VC unit

[0068]82 mapping unit

[0069]84 definition file acquisition unit

[0070]86 definition file creating unit

[0071]3310 sub-document file

[0072]3318 main document file

[0073]3320 definition file

[0074]3400 file distribution system

[0075]3412 instruction reception unit

[0076]3414 archive file creating unit

[0077]3420 document server

[0078]3432 archive file acquisition unit

[0079]3434 archive file expanding unit

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0080](Background Technique)

[0081]FIG. 1 illustrates a structure of a document processing apparatus 20
according to the background technique. The document processing apparatus
20 processes a structured document where data in the document are
classified into a plurality of components having a hierarchical
structure. Represented in the background technique is an example in which
an XML document, as one type of a structured document, is processed. The
document processing apparatus 20 is comprised of a main control unit 22,
an editing unit 24, a DOM unit 30, a CSS unit 40, an HTML unit 50, an SVG
unit 60 and a VC unit 80 which serves as an example of a conversion unit.
In terms of hardware components, these unit structures may be realized by
any conventional processing system or equipment, including a CPU or
memory of any computer, a memory-loaded program, or the like. Here, the
drawing shows a functional block configuration which is realized by
cooperation between the hardware components and software components.
Thus, it would be understood by those skilled in the art that these
function blocks can be realized in a variety of forms by hardware only,
software only or the combination thereof.

[0082]The main control unit 22 provides for the loading of a plug-in or a
framework for executing a command. The editing unit 24 provides a
framework for editing XML documents. Display and editing functions for a
document in the document processing apparatus 20 are realized by
plug-ins, and the necessary plug-ins are loaded by the main control unit
22 or the editing unit 24 according to the type of document under
consideration. The main control unit 22 or the editing unit 24 determines
which vocabulary or vocabularies describes the content of an XML document
to be processed, by referring to a name space of the document to be
processed, and loads a plug-in for display or editing corresponding to
the thus determined vocabulary so as to execute the display or the
editing. For instance, an HTML unit 50, which displays and edits HTML
documents, and an SVG unit 60, which displays and edits SVG documents,
are implemented in the document processing apparatus 20. That is, a
display system and an editing system are implemented as plug-ins for each
vocabulary (tag set), so that when an HTML document and an SVG document
are edited, the HTML unit 50 and the SVG unit 60 are loaded,
respectively. As will be described later, when compound documents, which
contain both the HTML and SVG components, are to be processed, both the
HTML unit 50 and the SVG unit 60 are loaded.

[0083]By implementing the above structure, a user can select so as to
install only necessary functions, and can add or delete a function or
functions at a later stage, as appropriate. Thus, the storage area of a
recording medium, such as a hard disk, can be effectively utilized, and
the wasteful use of memory can be prevented at the time of executing
programs. Furthermore, since the capability of this structure is highly
expandable, a developer can deal with new vocabularies in the form of
plug-ins, and thus the development process can be readily facilitated. As
a result, the user can also add a function or functions easily at low
cost by adding a plug-in or plug-ins.

[0084]The editing unit 24 receives an event, which is an editing
instruction, from the user via the user interface. Upon reception of such
an event, the editing unit 24 notifies a suitable plug-in or the like of
this event, and controls the processing such as redoing this event,
canceling (undoing) this event, etc.

[0085]The DOM unit 30 includes a DOM provider 32, a DOM builder 34 and a
DOM writer 36. The DOM unit 30 realizes functions in compliance with a
document object model (DOM), which is defined to provide an access method
used for handling data in the form of an XML document. The DOM provider
32 is an implementation of a DOM that satisfies an interface defined by
the editing unit 24. The DOM builder 34 generates DOM trees from XML
documents. As will be described later, when an XML document to be
processed is mapped to another vocabulary by the VC unit 80, a source
tree, which corresponds to the XML document in a mapping source, and a
destination tree, which corresponds to the XML document in a mapping
destination, are generated. At the end of editing, for example, the DOM
writer 36 outputs a DOM tree as an XML document.

[0086]The CSS unit 40, which provides a display function conforming to
CSS, includes a CSS parser 42, a CSS provider 44 and a rendering unit 46.
The CSS parser 42 has a parsing function for analyzing the CSS syntax.
The CSS provider 44 is an implementation of a CSS object and performs CSS
cascade processing on the DOM tree. The rendering unit 46 is a CSS
rendering engine and is used to display documents, described in a
vocabulary such as HTML, which are laid out using CSS.

[0087]The HTML unit 50 displays or edits documents described in HTML. The
SVG unit 60 displays or edits documents described in SVG. These
display/editing systems are realized in the form of plug-ins, and each
system is comprised of a display unit (also designated herein as a
"canvas") 56 and 66, which displays documents, a control unit (also
designated herein as an "editlet") 52 and 62, which transmits and
receives events containing editing commands, and an edit unit (also
designated herein as a "zone") 54 and 64, which edits the DOM according
to the editing commands. Upon the control unit 52 or 62 receiving a DOM
tree editing command from an external source, the edit unit 54 or 64
modifies the DOM tree and the display unit 56 or 66 updates the display.
These units have a structure similar to the framework of the so-called
MVC (Model-View-Controller). With such a structure, in general, the
display units 56 and 66 correspond to "View". On the other hand, the
control units 52 and 62 correspond to "Controller", and the edit units 54
and 64 and DOM instance corresponds to "Model". The document processing
apparatus 20 according to the background technique allows an XML document
to be edited according to each given vocabulary, as well as providing a
function of editing the HTML document in the form of tree display. The
HTML unit 50 provides a user interface for editing an HTML document in a
manner similar to a word processor, for example. On the other hand, the
SVG unit 60 provides a user interface for editing an SVG document in a
manner similar to an image drawing tool.

[0088]The VC unit 80 includes a mapping unit 82, a definition file
acquiring unit 84 and a definition file generator 86. The VC unit 80
performs mapping of a document, which has been described in a particular
vocabulary, to another given vocabulary, thereby providing a framework
that allows a document to be displayed and edited by a display/editing
plug-in corresponding to the vocabulary to which the document is mapped.
In the background technique, this function is called a vocabulary
connection (VC). In the VC unit 80, the definition file acquiring unit 84
acquires a script file in which the mapping definition is described.
Here, the definition file specifies the correspondence (connection)
between the nodes for each node. Furthermore, the definition file may
specify whether or not editing of the element values or attribute values
is permitted. Furthermore, the definition file may include operation
expressions using the element values or attribute values for the node.
Detailed description will be made later regarding these functions. The
mapping unit 82 instructs the DOM builder 34 to generate a destination
tree with reference to the script file acquired by the definition file
acquiring unit 84. This manages the correspondence between the source
tree and the destination tree. The definition file generator 86 offers a
graphical user interface which allows the user to generate a definition
file.

[0089]The VC unit 80 monitors the connection between the source tree and
the destination tree. Upon reception of an editing instruction from the
user via a user interface provided by a plug-in that handles a display
function, the VC unit 80 first modifies a relevant node of the source
tree. As a result, the DOM unit 30 issues a mutation event indicating
that the source tree has been modified. Upon reception of the mutation
event thus issued, the VC unit 80 modifies a node of the destination tree
corresponding to the modified node, thereby updating the destination tree
in a manner that synchronizes with the modification of the source tree.
Upon reception of a mutation event that indicates that the destination
tree has been modified, a plug-in having functions of displaying/editing
the destination tree, e.g., the HTML unit 50, updates a display with
reference to the destination tree thus modified. Such a structure allows
a document described in any vocabulary, even a minor vocabulary used in a
minor user segment, to be converted into a document described in another
major vocabulary. This enables such a document described in a minor
vocabulary to be displayed, and provides an editing environment for such
a document.

[0090]An operation in which the document processing apparatus 20 displays
and/or edits documents will be described herein below. When the document
processing apparatus 20 loads a document to be processed, the DOM builder
34 generates a DOM tree from the XML document. The main control unit 22
or the editing unit 24 determines which vocabulary describes the XML
document by referring to a name space of the XML document to be
processed. If the plug-in corresponding to the vocabulary is installed in
the document processing apparatus 20, the plug-in is loaded so as to
display/edit the document. If, on the other hand, the plug-in is not
installed in the document processing apparatus 20, a check shall be made
to see whether a mapping definition file exists or not. And if the
definition file exits, the definition file acquiring unit 84 acquires the
definition file and generates a destination tree according to the
definition, so that the document is displayed/edited by the plug-in
corresponding to the vocabulary which is to be used for mapping. If the
document is a compound document containing a plurality of vocabularies,
relevant portions of the document are displayed/edited by plug-ins
corresponding to the respective vocabularies, as will be described later.
If the definition file does not exist, a source or tree structure of a
document is displayed and the editing is carried out on the display
screen.

[0091]FIG. 2 shows an example of an XML document to be processed.
According to this exemplary illustration, the XML document is used to
manage data concerning grades or marks that students have earned. A
component "marks", which is the top node of the XML document, includes a
plurality of components "student" provided for each student under
"marks". The component "student" has an attribute "name" and contains, as
child elements, the subjects "japanese", "mathematics", "science", and
"social_studies". The attribute "name" stores the name of a student. The
components "japanese", "mathematics", "science" and "social_studies"
store the test scores for the subjects Japanese, mathematics, science,
and social studies, respectively. For example, the marks of a student
whose name is "A" are "90" for Japanese, "50" for mathematics, "75" for
science and "60" for social studies. Hereinafter, the vocabulary (tag
set) used in this document will be called "marks managing vocabulary".

[0092]Here, the document processing apparatus 20 according to the
background technique does not have a plug-in which conforms to or handles
the display/editing of marks managing vocabularies. Accordingly, before
displaying such a document in a manner other than the source display
manner or the tree display manner, the above-described VC function is
used. That is, there is a need to prepare a definition file for mapping
the document, which has been described in the marks managing vocabulary,
to another vocabulary, which is supported by a corresponding plug-in,
e.g., HTML or SVG. Note that description will be made later regarding a
user interface that allows the user to create the user's own definition
file. Now, description will be made below regarding a case in which a
definition file has already been prepared.

[0093]FIG. 3 shows an example in which the XML document shown in FIG. 2 is
mapped to a table described in HTML. In an example shown in FIG. 3, a
"student" node in the marks managing vocabulary is associated with a row
("TR" node) of a table ("TABLE" node) in HTML. The first column in each
row corresponds to an attribute value "name", the second column to a
"japanese" node element value, the third column to a "mathematics" node
element value, the fourth column to a "science" node element value and
the fifth column to a "social_studies" node element value. As a result,
the XML document shown in FIG. 2 can be displayed in an HTML tabular
format. Furthermore, these attribute values and element values are
designated as being editable, so that the user can edit these values on a
display screen using an editing function of the HTML unit 50. In the
sixth column, an operation expression is designated for calculating a
weighted average of the marks for Japanese, mathematics, science and
social studies, and average values of the marks for each student are
displayed. In this manner, more flexible display can be effected by
making it possible to specify the operation expression in the definition
file, thus improving the users' convenience at the time of editing. In
this example shown in FIG. 3, editing is designated as not being possible
in the sixth column, so that the average value alone cannot be edited
individually. Thus, in the mapping definition it is possible to specify
editing or no editing so as to protect the users against the possibility
of performing erroneous operations.

[0094]FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b) illustrate an example of a definition file
to map the XML document shown in FIG. 2 to the table shown in FIG. 3.
This definition file is described in script language defined for use with
definition files. In the definition file, definitions of commands and
templates for display are described. In the example shown in FIG. 4(a)
and FIG. 4(b), "add student" and "delete student" are defined as
commands, and an operation of inserting a node "student" into a source
tree and an operation of deleting the node "student" from the source
tree, respectively, are associated with these commands. Furthermore, the
definition file is described in the form of a template, which describes
that a header, such as "name" and "japanese", is displayed in the first
row of a table and the contents of the node "student" are displayed in
the second and subsequent rows. In the template displaying the contents
of the node "student", a term containing "text-of" indicates that editing
is permitted, whereas a term containing "value-of" indicates that editing
is not permitted. Among the rows where the contents of the node "student"
are displayed, an operation expression
"(src:japanese+src:mathematics+scr:science+scr:social_studies) div 4" is
described in the sixth row. This means that the average of the student's
marks is displayed.

[0095]FIG. 5 shows an example of a display screen on which an XML document
described in the marks managing vocabulary shown in FIG. 2 is displayed
by mapping the XML document to HTML using the correspondence shown in
FIG. 3. Displayed from left to right in each row of a table 90 are the
name of each student, marks for Japanese, marks for mathematics, marks
for science, marks for social studies and the averages thereof. The user
can edit the XML document on this screen. For example, when the value in
the second row and the third column is changed to "70", the element value
in the source tree corresponding to this node, that is, the marks of
student "B" for mathematics are changed to "70". At this time, in order
to have the destination tree follow the source tree, the VC unit 80
changes a relevant portion of the destination tree accordingly, so that
the HTML unit 50 updates the display based on the destination tree thus
changed. Hence, the marks of student "B" for mathematics are changed to
"70", and the average is changed to "55" in the table on the screen.

[0096]On the screen as shown in FIG. 5, commands like "add student" and
"delete student" are displayed in a menu as defined in the definition
file shown in FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b). When the user selects a command
from among these commands, a node "student" is added or deleted in the
source tree. In this manner, with the document processing apparatus 20
according to the background technique, it is possible not only to edit
the element values of components in a lower end of a hierarchical
structure but also to edit the hierarchical structure. An edit function
for editing such a tree structure may be presented to the user in the
form of commands. Furthermore, a command to add or delete rows of a table
may, for example, be linked to an operation of adding or deleting the
node "student". A command to embed other vocabularies therein may be
presented to the user. This table may be used as an input template, so
that marks data for new students can be added in a fill-in-the-blank
format. As described above, the VC function allows a document described
in the marks managing vocabulary to be edited using the display/editing
function of the HTML unit 50.

[0097]FIG. 6 shows an example of a graphical user interface, which the
definition file generator 86 presents to the user, in order for the user
to generate a definition file. An XML document to be mapped is displayed
in a tree in a left-hand area 91 of a screen. The screen layout of an XML
document after mapping is displayed in a right-hand area 92 of the
screen. This screen layout can be edited by the HTML unit 50, and the
user creates a screen layout for displaying documents in the right-hand
area 92 of the screen. For example, a node of the XML document which is
to be mapped, which is displayed in the left-hand area 91 of the screen,
is dragged and dropped into the HTML screen layout in the right-hand area
92 of the screen using a pointing device such as a mouse, so that a
connection between a node at a mapping source and a node at a mapping
destination is specified. For example, when "mathematics," which is a
child element of the element "student," is dropped to the intersection of
the first row and the third column in a table 90 on the HTML screen, a
connection is established between the "mathematics" node and a "TD" node
in the third column. Either editing or no editing can be specified for
each node. Moreover, the operation expression can be embedded in a
display screen. When the screen editing is completed, the definition file
generator 86 generates definition files, which describe connections
between the screen layout and nodes.

[0098]Viewers or editors which can handle major vocabularies such as
XHTML, MathML and SVG have already been developed. However, it does not
serve any practical purpose to develop dedicated viewers or editors for
such documents described in the original vocabularies as shown in FIG. 2.
If, however, the definition files for mapping to other vocabularies are
created as mentioned above, the documents described in the original
vocabularies can be displayed and/or edited utilizing the VC function
without the need to develop a new viewer or editor.

[0099]FIG. 7 shows another example of a screen layout generated by the
definition file generator 86. In the example shown in FIG. 7, a table 90
and circular graphs 93 are created on a screen for displaying XML
documents described in the marks managing vocabulary. The circular graphs
93 are described in SVG. As will be discussed later, the document
processing apparatus 20 according to the background technique can process
a compound document described in the form of a single XML document
according to a plurality of vocabularies. That is why the table 90
described in HTML and the circular graphs 93 described in SVG can be
displayed on the same screen.

[0100]FIG. 8 shows an example of a display medium, which in a preferred
but non-limiting embodiment is an edit screen, for XML documents
processed by the document processing apparatus 20. In the example shown
in FIG. 8, a single screen is partitioned into a plurality of areas and
the XML document to be processed is displayed in a plurality of different
display formats at the respective areas. The source of the document is
displayed in an area 94, the tree structure of the document is displayed
in an area 95, and the table shown in FIG. 5 and described in HTML is
displayed in an area 96. The document can be edited in any of these
areas, and when the user edits content in any of these areas, the source
tree will be modified accordingly, and then each plug-in that handles the
corresponding screen display updates the screen so as to effect the
modification of the source tree. Specifically, display units of the
plug-ins in charge of displaying the respective edit screens are
registered in advance as listeners for mutation events that provide
notice of a change in the source tree. When the source tree is modified
by any of the plug-ins or the VC unit 80, all the display units, which
are displaying the edit screen, receive the issued mutation event(s) and
then update the screens. At this time, if the plug-in is executing the
display through the VC function, the VC unit 80 modifies the destination
tree following the modification of the source tree. Thereafter, the
display unit of the plug-in modifies the screen by referring to the
destination tree thus modified.

[0101]For example, when the source display and tree-view display are
implemented by dedicated plug-ins, the source-display plug-in and the
tree-display plug-in execute their respective displays by directly
referring to the source tree without involving the destination tree. In
this case, when the editing is done in any area of the screen, the
source-display plug-in and the tree-display plug-in update the screen by
referring to the modified source tree. Also, the HTML unit 50 in charge
of displaying the area 96 updates the screen by referring to the
destination tree, which has been modified following the modification of
the source tree.

[0102]The source display and the tree-view display can also be realized by
utilizing the VC function. That is to say, an arrangement may be made in
which the source and the tree structure are laid out in HTML, an XML
document is mapped to the HTML structure thus laid out, and the HTML unit
50 displays the XML document thus mapped. In such an arrangement, three
destination trees in the source format, the tree format and the table
format are generated. If the editing is carried out in any of the three
areas on the screen, the VC unit 80 modifies the source tree and,
thereafter, modifies the three destination trees in the source format,
the tree format and the table format. Then, the HTML unit 50 updates the
three areas of the screen by referring to the three destination trees.

[0103]In this manner, a document is displayed on a single screen in a
plurality of display formats, thus improving a user's convenience. For
example, the user can display and edit a document in a visually
easy-to-understand format using the table 90 or the like while
understanding the hierarchical structure of the document by the source
display or the tree display. In the above example, a single screen is
partitioned into a plurality of display formats, and they are displayed
simultaneously. Also, a single display format may be displayed on a
single screen so that the display format can be switched according to the
user's instructions. In this case, the main control unit 22 receives from
the user a request for switching the display format and then instructs
the respective plug-ins to switch the display.

[0104]FIG. 9 illustrates another example of an XML document edited by the
document processing apparatus 20. In the XML document shown in FIG. 9, an
XHTML document is embedded in a "foreignObject" tag of an SVG document,
and the XHTML document contains an equation described in MathML. In this
case, the editing unit 24 assigns the rendering job to an appropriate
display system by referring to the name space. In the example illustrated
in FIG. 9, first, the editing unit 24 instructs the SVG unit 60 to render
a rectangle, and then instructs the HTML unit 50 to render the XHTML
document. Furthermore, the editing unit 24 instructs a MathML unit (not
shown) to render an equation. In this manner, the compound document
containing a plurality of vocabularies is appropriately displayed. FIG.
10 illustrates the resulting display.

[0105]The displayed menu may be switched corresponding to the position of
the cursor (carriage) during the editing of a document. That is, when the
cursor lies in an area where an SVG document is displayed, the menu
provided by the SVG unit 60, or a command set which is defined in the
definition file for mapping the SVG document, is displayed. On the other
hand, when the cursor lies in an area where the XHTML document is
displayed, the menu provided by the HTML unit 50, or a command set which
is defined in the definition file for mapping the HTML document, is
displayed. Thus, an appropriate user interface can be presented according
to the editing position.

[0106]In a case that there is neither a plug-in nor a mapping definition
file suitable for any one of the vocabularies according to which the
compound document has been described, a portion described in this
vocabulary may be displayed in source or in tree format. In the
conventional practice, when a compound document is to be opened where
another document is embedded in a particular document, their contents
cannot be displayed without the installation of an application to display
the embedded document. According to the background technique, however,
the XML documents, which are composed of text data, may be displayed in
source or in tree format so that the contents of the documents can be
ascertained. This is a characteristic of the text-based XML documents or
the like.

[0107]Another advantageous aspect of the data being described in a
text-based language, for example, is that, in a single compound document,
a part of the compound document described in a given vocabulary can be
used as reference data for another part of the same compound document
described in a different vocabulary. Furthermore, when a search is made
within the document, a string of characters embedded in a drawing, such
as SVG, may also be search candidates.

[0108]In a document described in a particular vocabulary, tags belonging
to other vocabularies may be used. Though such an XML document is
generally not valid, it can be processed as a valid XML document as long
as it is well-formed. In such a case, the tags thus inserted that belong
to other vocabularies may be mapped using a definition file. For
instance, tags such as "Important" and "Most Important" may be used so as
to display a portion surrounding these tags in an emphasized manner, or
may be sorted out in the order of importance.

[0109]When the user edits a document on an edit screen as shown in FIG.
10, a plug-in or a VC unit 80, which is in charge of processing the
edited portion, modifies the source tree. A listener for mutation events
can be registered for each node in the source tree. Normally, a display
unit of the plug-in or the VC unit 80 conforming to a vocabulary that
belongs to each node is registered as the listener. When the source tree
is modified, the DOM provider 32 traces toward a higher hierarchy from
the modified node. If there is a registered listener, the DOM provider 32
issues a mutation event to the listener. For example, referring to the
document shown in FIG. 9, if a node which lies lower than the
<html> node is modified, the mutation event is notified to the HTML
unit 50, which is registered as a listener to the <html> node. At
the same time, the mutation event is also notified to the SVG unit 60,
which is registered as a listener in an <svg> node, which lies
upper to the <html> node. At this time, the HTML unit 50 updates
the display by referring to the modified source tree. Since the nodes
belonging to the vocabulary of the SVG unit 60 itself are not modified,
the SVG unit 60 may disregard the mutation event.

[0110]Depending on the contents of the editing, modification of the
display by the HTML unit 50 may change the overall layout. In such a
case, the layout is updated by a screen layout management mechanism,
e.g., the plug-in that handles the display of the highest node, in
increments of display regions which are displayed according to the
respective plug-ins. For example, in a case of expanding a display region
managed by the HTML unit 50, first, the HTML unit 50 renders a part
managed by the HTML unit 50 itself, and determines the size of the
display region. Then, the size of the display area is notified to the
component that manages the screen layout so as to request the updating of
the layout. Upon receipt of this notice, the component that manages the
screen layout rebuilds the layout of the display area for each plug-in.
Accordingly, the display of the edited portion is appropriately updated
and the overall screen layout is updated.

[0111]Then, further detailed description will be made regarding functions
and components for providing the document processing 20 according to the
background technique. In the following description, English terms are
used for the class names and so forth.

[0112]A. Outline

[0113]The advent of the Internet has resulted in a nearly exponential
increase in the number of documents processed and managed by users. The
Web (World Wide Web), which serves as the core of the Internet, provides
a massive storage capacity for storing such document data. The Web also
provides an information search system for such documents, in addition to
the function of storing the documents. In general, such a document is
described in a markup language. HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is an
example of a popular basic markup language. Such a document includes
links, each of which links the document to another document stored at
another position on the Web. XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a
popular further improved markup language. Simple browsers which allow the
user to access and browse such Web documents have been developed using
object-oriented programming languages such as Java (trademark).

[0114]In general, documents described in markup languages are represented
in a browser or other applications in the form of a tree data structure.
This structure corresponds to a tree structure obtained as a result of
parsing a document. The DOM (Document Object Model) is a well-known
tree-based data structure model, which is used for representing and
processing a document. The DOM provides a standard object set for
representing documents, examples of which include an HTML document, an
XML document, etc. The DOM includes two basic components, i.e., a
standard model which shows how the objects that represent the respective
components included in a document are connected to one another, and a
standard interface which allows the user to access and operate each
object.

[0115]Application developers can support the DOM as an interface for
handling their own data structure and API (Application Program
Interface). On the other hand, application providers who create documents
can use the standard interface of the DOM, instead of using the DOM as an
interface for handling their own API. The capacity of the DOM to provide
such a standard interface has been effective in promoting document
sharing in various environments, particularly on the Web. Several
versions of the DOM have been defined, which are used in different
environments and applications.

[0116]A DOM tree is a hierarchical representation of the structure of a
document, which is based upon the content of a corresponding DOM. A DOM
tree includes a "root", and one or more "nodes" branching from the root.
In some cases, an entire document is represented by a root alone. An
intermediate node can represent an element such as a table, or a row or a
column of the table, for example. A "leaf" of a DOM tree generally
represents data which cannot be further parsed, such as text data, image
data, etc. Each of the nodes of the DOM tree may be associated with an
attribute that specifies a parameter of the element represented by the
node, such as a font, size, color, indent, etc.

[0117]HTML is a language which is generally used for creating a document.
However, HTML is a language that provides formatting and layout
capabilities, and it is not meant to be used as a data description
language. The node of the DOM tree for representing an HTML document is
defined beforehand as an HTML formatting tag, and in general, HTML does
not provide detailed data description and data tagging/labeling
functions. This leads to a difficulty in providing a query format for the
data included in an HTML document.

[0118]The goal of network designers is to provide a software application
which allows the user to make a query for and to process a document
provided on the Web. Such a software application should allow the user to
make a query for and to process a document, regardless of the display
method, as long as the document is described in a hierarchically
structured language. A markup language such as XML (eXtensible Markup
Language) provides such functions.

[0119]Unlike HTML, XML has a well-known advantage of allowing the document
designer to label each data element using a tag which can be defined by
the document designer as desired. Such data elements can form a
hierarchical structure. Furthermore, an XML document can include a
document type definition that specifies a "grammar" which specifies the
tags used in the document and the relations between the tags. Also, in
order to define the display method of such a structured XML document, CSS
(Cascading Style Sheets) or XSL (XML Style Language) is used. Additional
information with respect to the features of the DOM, HTML, XML, CSS, XSL,
and the related languages can be acquired via the Web, for example, from
"http://www.w3.org/TR/".

[0120]XPath provides common syntax and semantics which allow the position
of a portion of an XML document to be specified. Examples of such
functions include a function of traversing a DOM tree that corresponds to
an XML document. This provides basic functions for operating character
strings, values, and Boolean variables, which are related to the function
of displaying an XML document in various manners. XPath does not provide
a syntax for how the XML document is displayed, e.g., a grammar which
handles a document in the form of text in increments of lines or
characters. Instead of such a syntax, XPath handles a document in the
form of an abstract and logical structure. The use of XPath allows the
user to specify a position in an XML document via the hierarchical
structure of a DOM tree of the XML document, for example. Also, XPath has
been designed so as to allow the user to test whether or not the nodes
included in a DOM tree match a given pattern. Detailed description of
XPath can be obtained from http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath.

[0121]There is a demand for an effective document processing system based
upon the known features and advantages of XML, which provides a
user-friendly interface which handles a document described in a markup
language (e.g., XML), and which allows the user to create and modify such
a document.

[0122]Some of the system components as described here will be described in
a well-known GUI (Graphical User Interface) paradigm which is called the
MVC (Model-View-Controller) paradigm. The MVC paradigm divides a part of
an application or an interface of an application into three parts, i.e.,
"model", "view", and "controller". In the GUI field, the MVC paradigm has
been developed primarily for assigning the roles of "input",
"processing", and "output".

[0123][input]→[processing]→[output]

[0124][controller]→[model]→[view]

[0125]The MVC paradigm separately handles modeling of external data,
visual feedback for the user, and input from the user, using a model
object (M), a view object (V), and a controller object (C). The
controller object analyzes the input from the user input via a mouse and
a keyboard, and maps such user actions to a command to be transmitted to
the model object and/or the view object. The model object operates so as
to manage one or more data elements. Furthermore, the model object makes
a response to a query with respect to the state of the data elements, and
operates in response to an instruction to change the state of the data
elements. The view object has a function of presenting data to the user
in the form of a combination of graphics and text.

[0126]B. Overall Configuration of the Document Processing System

[0127]In order to make clear an embodiment of the document processing
system, description will be made with reference to FIGS. 11 through 29.

[0128]FIG. 11(a) shows an example of a configuration comprising components
that provide the basic functions of a kind of document processing system
according to a conventional technique as will be mentioned later. A
configuration 10 includes a processor in the form of a CPU or a
microprocessor 11 connected to memory 12 via a communication path 13. The
memory 12 may be provided in the form of any kind of ROM and/or RAM that
is currently available or that may be available in the future. In a
typical case, the communication path 13 is provided in the form of a bus.
An input/output interface 16 for user input devices such as a mouse, a
keyboard, a speech recognition system, etc., and a display device 15 (or
other user interfaces) is connected to the bus that provides
communication with the processor 11 and the memory 12. Such a
configuration may be provided in the form of a standalone device. Also,
such a configuration may be provided in the form of a network which
includes multiple terminals and one or more servers connected to one
another. Also, such a configuration may be provided in any known form.
The present invention is not restricted to a particular layout of the
components, a particular architecture, e.g., a centralized architecture
or a distributed architecture, or a particular one of various methods of
communication between the components.

[0129]Furthermore, description will be made below regarding the present
system and the embodiment regarding an arrangement including several
components and sub-components that provide various functions. In order to
provide desired functions, the components and the sub-components can be
realized by hardware alone, or by software alone, in addition to various
combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, the hardware, the
software, and the various combinations thereof can be realized by general
purpose hardware, dedicated hardware, or various combinations of general
purpose and dedicated hardware. Accordingly, the configuration of the
component or the sub-component includes a general purpose or dedicated
computation device for executing predetermined software that provides a
function required for the component or the sub-component.

[0130]FIG. 11(b) is a block diagram which shows an overall configuration
of an example of the document processing system. Such a document
processing system allows a document to be created and edited. Such a
document may be described in a desired language that has the functions
required of a markup language, such as XML etc. Note that some terms and
titles will be defined here for convenience of explanation. However, the
general scope of the disclosure according to the present invention is not
intended to be restricted by such terms and titles thus defined here.

[0131]The document processing system can be classified into two basic
configurations. A first configuration is an "execution environment" 101
which provides an environment that allows the document processing system
to operate. For example, the execution environment provides basic
utilities and functions that support both the system and the user during
the processing and management of a document. A second configuration is an
"application" 102 that comprises applications that run under an execution
environment. These applications include the documents themselves and
various representations of the documents.

[0132]1. Execution Environment

[0133]The key component of the execution environment 101 is the
ProgramInvoker (program invoking unit) 103. The ProgramInvoker 103 is a
basic program, which is accessed in order to start up the document
processing system. For example, upon the user logging on and starting up
the document processing system, the ProgramInvoker 103 is executed. The
ProgramInvoker 103 has: a function of reading out and executing a
function added to the document processing system in the form of a
plug-in; a function of starting up and executing an application; and a
function of reading out the properties related to a document, for
example. However, the functions of the ProgramInvoker 103 are not
restricted to these functions. Upon the user giving an instruction to
start up an application to be executed under the execution environment,
the ProgramInvoker 103 finds and starts up the application, thereby
executing the application.

[0134]Also, several components are attached to the ProgramInvoker 103,
examples of which include a plug-in sub-system 104, a command sub-system
105, and a resource module 109. Detailed description will be made below
regarding the configurations of such components.

[0135]a) Plug-In Sub-System

[0136]The plug-in sub-system is used as a highly flexible and efficient
configuration which allows an additional function to be added to the
document processing system. Also, the plug-in sub-system 104 can be used
for modifying or deleting functions included in the document processing
system. Also, various kinds of functions can be added or modified using
the plug-in sub-system. For example, the plug-in sub-system 104 allows an
Editlet (editing unit) to be added, which supports functions of allowing
the user to edit via the screen. Also, the Editlet plug-in supports the
functions of allowing the user to edit a vocabulary added to the system.

[0137]The plug-in sub-system 104 includes a ServiceBroker (service broker
unit) 1041. The ServiceBroker 1041 manages a plug-in added to the
document processing system, thereby mediating between the service thus
added and the document processing system.

[0138]Each of the desired functions is added in the form of a Service
1042. Examples of the available types of Services 1042 include: an
Application Service; a ZoneFactory (zone creating unit) Service; an
Editlet (editing unit) Service; a CommandFactory (command creating unit)
Service; a ConnectXPath (XPath management unit) Service; a CSSComputation
(CSS calculation unit) Service; etc. However, the Service 1042 is not
restricted to such services. Detailed description will be made below
regarding these Services, and regarding the relation between these
Services and other components of the system, in order to facilitate
understanding of the document processing system.

[0139]Description will be made below regarding the relation between a
plug-in and a Service. The plug-in is a unit capable of including one or
more ServiceProviders (service providing units). Each ServiceProvider has
one or more classes for corresponding Services. For example, upon using a
plug-in having an appropriate software application, one or more Services
are added to the system, thereby adding the corresponding functions to
the system.

[0140]b) Command Sub-System

[0141]The command sub-system 105 is used for executing a command relating
to the processing of a document. The command sub-system 105 allows the
user to execute the processing of the document by executing a series of
commands. For example, the command sub-system 105 allows the user to edit
an XML DOM tree that corresponds to an XML document stored in the
document processing system, and to process the XML document, by issuing a
command. These commands may be input by key-strokes, mouse-clicks, or
actions via other valid user interfaces. In some cases, when a single
command is input, one or more sub-commands are executed. In such a case,
these sub-commands are wrapped in a single command, and the sub-commands
are consecutively executed. For example, let us consider a case in which
the user has given an instruction to replace an incorrect word with a
correct word. In this case, a first sub-command is an instruction to
detect an incorrect word in the document. Then, a second sub-command is
an instruction to delete the incorrect word. Finally, a third function is
an instruction to insert a correct word. These three sub-commands may be
wrapped in a single command.

[0142]Each command may have a corresponding function, e.g., an "undo"
function described later in detail. Such a function may also be assigned
to several basic classes used for creating an object.

[0143]The key component of the command sub-system 105 is a CommandInvoker
(command invoking unit) 1051 which operates so as to allow the user to
selectively input and execute the commands. FIG. 11(b) shows an
arrangement having a single CommandInvoker. Also, one or more
CommandInvokers may be used. Also, one or more commands may be executed
at the same time. The CommandInvoker 1051 holds the functions and classes
required for executing the command. In the operation, the Command 1052 is
loaded in a Queue 1053. Then, the CommandInvoker 1051 creates a command
thread for executing the commands in sequence. In a case that no Command
is currently being executed by the CommandInvoker, the Command 1052
provided to be executed by the CommandInvoker 1051 is executed. In a case
that a command is currently being executed by the CommandInvoker, the new
Command is placed at the end of the Queue 1053. However, each
CommandInvoker 1051 executes only a single command at a time. In a case
of failure in executing the Command thus specified, the CommandInvoker
1051 performs exception handling.

[0144]Examples of the types of Commands executed by the CommandInvoker
1051 include: an UndoableCommand (undoable command) 1054; an
AsynchronousCommand (asynchronous command) 1055; and a VCCommand (VC
command) 1056. However, the types of commands are not restricted to those
examples. The UndoableCommand 1054 is a command which can be undone
according to an instruction from the user. Examples of UndoableCommands
include a deletion command, a copy command, a text insertion command,
etc. Let us consider a case in which, in the course of operation, the
user has selected a part of a document, following which the deletion
command is applied to the part thus selected. In this case, the
corresponding UndoableCommand allows the deleted part to be restored to
the state that it was in before the part was deleted.

[0145]The VCCommand 1056 is stored in a Vocabulary Connection Descriptor
(VCD) script file. The VCCommand 1056 is a user specified Command defined
by a programmer. Such a Command may be a combination of more abstract
Commands, e.g., a Command for adding an XML fragment, a Command for
deleting an XML fragment, a Command for setting an attribute, etc. In
particular, such Commands are provided with document editing in mind.

[0146]The AsynchronousCommand 1055 is a command primarily provided for the
system, such as a command for loading a document, a command for storing a
document, etc. AsynchronousCommands 1055 are executed in an asynchronous
manner, independently of UndoableCommands and VCCommands. Note that the
AsynchronousCommand does not belong to the class of undoable commands (it
is not an UndoableCommand). Accordingly, an AsynchronousCommand cannot be
undone.

[0147]c) Resource

[0148]The Resource 109 is an object that provides several functions to
various classes. Examples of such system Resources include string
resources, icon resources, and default key bind resources.

[0149]2. Application Component

[0150]The application component 102, which is the second principal
component of the document processing system, is executed under the
execution environment 101. The application component 102 includes actual
documents and various kinds of logical and physical representations of
the documents included in the system. Furthermore, the application
component 102 includes the configuration of the system used for
management of the documents. The application component 102 further
includes a UserApplication (user application) 106, an application core
108, a user interface 107, and a CoreComponent (core component) 110.

[0151]a) User Application

[0152]The UserApplication 106 is loaded in the system along with the
ProgramInvoker 103. The UserApplication 106 serves as an binding agent
that connects a document, the various representations of the document,
and the user interface required for communicating with the document. For
example, let us consider a case in which the user creates a document set
which is a part of a project. Upon loading the document set, an
appropriate representation of the document is created. The user interface
function is added as a part of the UserApplication 106. In other words,
with regard to a document that forms a part of a project, the
UserApplication 106 holds both the representation of the document that
allows the user to communicate with the document, and various other
document conditions. Once the UserApplication 106 has been created, such
an arrangement allows the user to load the UserApplication 106 under the
execution environment in a simple manner every time there is a need to
communicate with a document that forms a part of a project.

[0153]b) Core Component

[0154]The CoreComponent 110 provides a method which allows a document to
be shared over multiple panes. As described later in detail, the Pane
displays a DOM tree, and provides a physical screen layout. For example,
a physical screen is formed of multiple Panes within a screen, each of
which displays a corresponding part of the information. With such an
arrangement, a document displayed on the screen for the user can be
displayed in one or more Panes. Also, two different documents may be
displayed on the screen in two different Panes.

[0155]As shown in FIG. 11(c), the physical layout of the screen is
provided in a tree form. The Pane can be a RootPane (root pane) 1084.
Also, the Pane can be a SubPane (sub-pane) 1085. The RootPane 1084 is a
Pane which is positioned at the root of a Pane tree. The SubPanes 1085
are other Panes that are distinct from the RootPane 1084.

[0156]The CoreComponent 110 provides a font, and serves as a source that
provides multiple functional operations for a document. Examples of the
tasks executed by the CoreComponent 110 include movement of a mouse
cursor across the multiple Panes. Other examples of the tasks thus
executed include a task whereby a part of the document displayed on a
Pane is marked, and the part thus selected is duplicated on another Pane.

[0157]c) Application Core

[0158]As described above, the application component 102 has a structure
that comprises documents to be processed and managed by the system.
Furthermore, the application component 102 includes various kinds of
logical and physical representations of the documents stored in the
system. The application core 108 is a component of the application
component 102. The application core 108 provides a function of holding an
actual document along with all the data sets included in the document.
The application core 108 includes a DocumentManager (document manager,
document managing unit) 1081 and a Document (document) 1082 itself.

[0159]Detailed description will be made regarding various embodiments of
the DocumentManager 1081. The DocumentManager 1081 manages the Document
1082. The DocumentManager 1081 is connected to the RootPane 1084, the
SubPane 1085, a ClipBoard (clipboard) utility 1087, and a SnapShot
(snapshot) utility 1088. The ClipBoard utility 1087 provides a method for
holding a part of the document which is selected by the user as a part to
be added to the clipboard. For example, let us consider a case in which
the user deletes a part of a document, and stores the part thus deleted
in a new document as a reference document. In this case, the part thus
deleted is added to the ClipBoard.

[0160]Next, description will also be made regarding the SnapShot utility
1088. The SnapShot utility 1088 allows the system to store the current
state of an application before the state of the application changes from
one particular state to another state.

[0161]d) User Interface

[0162]The user interface 107 is another component of the application
component 102, which provides a method that allows the user to physically
communicate with the system. Specifically, the user interface allows the
user to upload, delete, edit, and manage a document. The user interface
includes a Frame (frame) 1071, a MenuBar (menu bar) 1072, a StatusBar
(status bar) 1073, and a URLBar (URL bar) 1074.

[0163]The Frame 1071 serves as an active region of a physical screen, as
is generally known. The Menubar 1072 is a screen region including a menu
that provides selections to the user. The StatusBar 1073 is a screen
region that displays the status of the application which is being
executed. The URLBar 1074 provides a region which allows the user to
input a URL address for Internet navigation.

[0164]C. Document Management and Corresponding Data Structure

[0165]FIG. 12 shows a configuration of the DocumentManager 1081 in detail.
The DocumentManager 1081 includes a data structure and components used
for representing a document in the document processing system.
Description will be made regarding such components in this sub-section
using the MVC paradigm for convenience of explanation.

[0166]The DocumentManager 1081 includes a DocumentContainer (document
container) 203 which holds all the documents stored in the document
processing system, and which serves as a host machine. A tool kit 201
attached to the DocumentManager 1081 provides various tools used by the
DocumentManager 1081. For example, the tool kit 201 provides a DomService
(DOM service) which provides all the functions required for creating,
holding, and managing a DOM that corresponds to a document. Also, the
tool kit 201 provides an IOManager (input/output management unit) which
is another tool for managing the input to/output from the system. Also, a
StreamHandler (stream handler) is a tool for handling uploading a
document in the form of a bit stream. The tool kit 201 includes such
tools in the form of components, which are not shown in the drawings in
particular, and are not denoted by reference numerals.

[0167]With the system represented using the MVC paradigm, the model (M)
includes a DOM tree model 202 of a document. As described above, each of
all the documents is represented by the document processing system in the
form of a DOM tree. Also, the document forms a part of the
DocumentContainer 203.

[0168]1. DOM Model and Zone

[0169]The DOM tree which represents a document has a tree structure having
Nodes (nodes) 2021. A Zone (zone) 209, which is a subset of the DOM tree,
includes a region that corresponds to one or more Nodes within the DOM
tree. For example, a part of a document can be displayed on a screen. In
this case, the part of the document that is visually output is displayed
using the Zone 209. The Zone is created, handled, and processed using a
plug-in which is so-called ZoneFactory (Zone Factory=Zone creating unit)
205. While the Zone represents a part of the DOM, the Zone can use one or
more "namespaces". It is well known that a namespace is a set that
consists of unique names, each of which differs from every other name in
the namespace. In other words, the namespace does not include the same
names repeated.

[0170]2. Facets and the Relation between Facets and Zones

[0171]A Facet 2022 is another component included in the model (M)
component of the MVC paradigm. The Facet is used for editing the Node in
the Zone. The Facet 2022 allows the user to access the DOM using a
procedure that can be executed without affecting the content of the Zone.
As described below, such a procedure executes an important and useful
operation with respect to the Node.

[0172]Each node has a corresponding Facet. With such an arrangement, the
facet is used for executing the operation instead of directly operating
the Node in the DOM, thereby maintaining the integrity of the DOM. On the
other hand, let us consider an arrangement in which an operation is
performed directly on the Node. With such an arrangement, multiple
plug-ins can change the DOM at the same time, leading to a problem that
the integrity of the DOM cannot be maintained.

[0173]The DOM standard stipulated by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
defines a standard interface for operating a Node. In practice, unique
operations particular to each vocabulary or each Node are required.
Accordingly, such unique operations are preferably provided in the form
of an API. The document processing system provides such an API particular
to each Node in the form of a Facet which is attached to the Node. Such
an arrangement allows a useful API to be attached to the DOM according to
the DOM standard. Furthermore, with such an arrangement, after a standard
DOM has been installed, unique APIs are attached to the DOM, instead of
installing a unique DOM for each vocabulary. This allows various kinds of
vocabularies to be uniformly handled. Furthermore, such an arrangement
allows the user to properly process a document described using a desired
combination of multiple vocabularies.

[0174]Each vocabulary is a set of tags (e.g., XML tags), which belong to a
corresponding namespace. As described above, each namespace has a set of
unique names (in this case, tags). Each vocabulary is handled as a
sub-tree of the DOM tree which represents an XML document. The sub-tree
includes the Zone. In particular cases, the boundary between the tag sets
is defined by the Zone. The Zone 209 is created using a Service which is
called a ZoneFactory 205. As described above, the Zone 209 is an internal
representation of a part of the DOM tree which represents a document. In
order to provide a method that allows the user to access a part of such a
document, the system requires a logical representation of the DOM tree.
The logical representation of the DOM allows the computer to be informed
of how the document is logically represented on a screen. A Canvas
(canvas) 210 is a Service that operate so as to provide a logical layout
that corresponds to the Zone.

[0175]On the other hand, a Pane 211 is a physical screen layout that
corresponds to a logical layout provided by the Canvas 210. In practice,
the user views only a rendering of the document, through text or images
displayed on a screen. Accordingly, there is a need to use a process for
drawing text and images on a screen to display the document on a screen.
With such an arrangement, the document is displayed on a screen by the
Canvas 210 based upon the physical layout provided from the Pane 211.

[0176]The Canvas 210 that corresponds to the Zone 209 is created using an
Editlet 206. The DOM of the document is edited using the Editlet 206 and
the Canvas 210. In order to maintain the integrity of the original
document, the Editlet 206 and the Canvas 210 use the Facet that
corresponds to one or more Nodes included in the Zone 209. The Facet is
operated using a Command 207.

[0177]In general, the user communicates with a screen by moving a cursor
on a screen or typing a command. The Canvas 210, which provides a logical
layout on a screen, allows the user to input such cursor operations. The
Canvas 210 instructs the Facet to execute a corresponding action. With
such a relation, the cursor sub-system 204 serves as a controller (C)
according to the MVC paradigm with respect to the DocumentManager 1081.
The Canvas 210 also provides a task for handling an event. Examples of
such events handled by the canvas 210 include: a mouse click event; a
focus movement event; and a similar action event occurring in response to
the user operation.

[0178]3. Outline of the Relation Between Zone, Facet, Canvas, and Pane.

[0179]The document in the document processing system can be described from
at least four points of view. That is to say, it can be seen as: 1) a
data structure for maintaining the content and structure of a document in
the document processing system, 2) means by which the user can edit the
content of the document while maintaining the integrity of the document,
3) a logical layout of the document on a screen, and 4) a physical layout
of the document on the screen. The components of the document processing
system that correspond to the aforementioned four points of view are the
Zone, Facet, Canvas, and Pane, respectively.

[0180]4. Undo Sub-System

[0181]As described above, all modifications made to the document (e.g.,
document editing procedures) are preferably undoable. For example, let us
consider a case in which the user executes an editing operation, and then
determines that the modification thus made to the document should be
undone. Referring to FIG. 12, the undo subsystem 212 provides an undo
component of a document management unit. With such an arrangement, an
UndoManager (undo manager=undo management unit) 2121 holds all the
undoable operations for the document which the user can select to be
undone.

[0182]Let us consider a case in which the user executes a command for
replacing a word in a document by another word, following which the user
determines that, on reflection, the replacement of the word thus effected
should be undone. The undo sub-system supports such an operation. The
UndoManager 2121 holds such an operation of an UndoableEdit (undoable
edit) 2122.

[0183]5. Cursor Sub-System

[0184]As described above, the controller unit of the MVC may include the
cursor sub-system 204. The cursor sub-system 204 receives the input from
the user. In general, such an input provides command input and/or edit
operation. Accordingly, with respect to the DocumentManager 1081, the
cursor sub-system 204 serves as the controller (C) component according to
the MVC paradigm.

[0185]6. View

[0186]As described above, the Canvas 210 represents the logical layout of
a document to be displayed on a screen. In a case that the document is an
XHTML document, the Canvas 210 may include a box tree 208 that provides a
logical representation of a document, which indicates how the document is
displayed on a screen. With respect to the DocumentManager 1081, the box
tree 208 may be included in the view (V) component according to the MVC
paradigm.

[0187]D. Vocabulary Connection

[0188]The important feature of the document processing system is that the
document processing system provides an environment which allows the user
to handle an XML document via other representations to which the document
has been mapped. With such an environment, upon the user editing a
representation to which the source XML document has been mapped, the
source XML document is modified according to the edit operation while
maintaining the integrity of the XML document.

[0189]A document described in a markup language, e.g., an XML document is
created based upon a vocabulary defined by a document type definition.
The vocabulary is a set of tags. The vocabulary can be defined as
desired. This allows a limitless number of vocabularies to be created. It
does not serve any practical purpose to provide dedicated viewer/editor
environments for such a limitless number of vocabularies. The vocabulary
connection provides a method for solving this problem.

[0190]For example, a document can be described in two or more markup
languages. Specific examples of such markup languages used for describing
a document include: XHTML (extensible HyperText Markup Language), SVG
(Scalable Vector Graphics), MathML (Mathematical Markup Language), and
other markup languages. In other words, such a markup language can be
handled in the same way as is the vocabulary or the tag set in XML.

[0191]A vocabulary is processed using a vocabulary plug-in. In a case that
the document has been described in a vocabulary for which there is no
available plug-in in the document processing system, the document is
mapped to a document described in another vocabulary for which a plug-in
is available, thereby displaying the document. Such a function enables a
document to be properly displayed even if the document has been described
in a vocabulary for which there is no available plug-in.

[0192]The vocabulary connection has a function of acquiring a definition
file, and a function of mapping from one vocabulary to another different
vocabulary based upon the definition file thus acquired. With such an
arrangement, a document described in one vocabulary can be mapped to a
document described in another vocabulary. As described above, the
vocabulary connection maps a document described in one vocabulary to
another document described in another vocabulary for which there is a
corresponding display/editing plug-in, thereby allowing the user to
display and edit the document.

[0193]As described above, in general, each document is described by the
document processing system in the form of a DOM tree having multiple
nodes. The "definition file" describes the relations among the different
nodes. Furthermore, the definition file specifies whether or not the
element values and the attribute values can be edited for each node.
Also, the definition file may specify an expression using the element
values and the attribute values of the nodes.

[0194]Using the mapping function by applying the definition file, a
destination DOM tree can be created. As described above, the relation
between the source DOM tree and the destination DOM tree is created and
held. The vocabulary connection monitors the relation between the source
DOM tree and the destination DOM tree. Upon reception of an editing
instruction from the user, the vocabulary connection modifies the
corresponding node included in the source DOM tree. Subsequently, a
"mutation event" is issued, which gives notice that the source DOM tree
has been modified. Then, the destination DOM tree is modified in response
to the mutation event.

[0195]The use of the vocabulary connection allows a relatively minor
vocabulary used by a small number of users to be converted into another
major vocabulary. Thus, such an arrangement provides a desirable editing
environment, which allows a document to be properly displayed even if the
document is described in a minor vocabulary used by a small number of
users.

[0196]As described above, the vocabulary connection sub-system which is a
part of the document processing system provides a function that allows a
document to be represented in multiple different ways.

[0197]FIG. 13 shows a vocabulary connection (VC) sub-system 300. The VC
sub-system 300 provides a method for representing a document in two
different ways while maintaining the integrity of the source document.
For example, a single document may be represented in two different ways
using two different vocabularies. Also, one representation may be a
source DOM tree, and the other representation may be a destination DOM
tree, as described above.

[0198]1. Vocabulary Connection Sub-System

[0199]The functions of the vocabulary connection sub-system 300 are
provided to the document processing system using a plug-in which is
called a VocabularyConnection 301. With such an arrangement, a
corresponding plug-in is requested for each Vocabulary 305 used for
representing the document. For example, let us consider a case in which a
part of the document is described in HTML, and the other part is
described in SVG. In this case, the vocabulary plug-in that corresponds
to HTML and the vocabulary plug-in that corresponds to SVG are requested.

[0200]The VocabularyConnection plug-in 301 creates a proper VCCanvas
(vocabulary connection canvas) 310 that corresponds to a document
described in a proper Vocabulary 305 for the Zone 209 or the Pane 211.
Using the VocabularyConnection 301, a modification made to the Zone 209
within the source DOM tree is transmitted to the corresponding Zone
within another DOM tree 306 according to a conversion rule. The
conversion rule is described in the form of a vocabulary connection
descriptor (VCD). Furthermore, a corresponding VCManager (vocabulary
connection manager) 302 is created for each VCD file that corresponds to
such a conversion between the source DOM and the destination DOM.

[0201]2. Connector

[0202]A Connector 304 connects the source node included within the source
DOM tree and the destination node included within the destination DOM
tree. The Connector 304 operates so as to monitor modifications (changes)
made to the source node included within the source DOM tree and the
source document that corresponds to the source node. Then, the Connector
304 modifies the corresponding node of the destination DOM tree. With
such an arrangement, the Connector 304 is the only object which is
capable of modifying the destination DOM tree. Specifically, the user can
modify only the source document and the corresponding source DOM tree.
With such an arrangement, the Connector 304 modifies the destination DOM
tree according to the modification thus made by the user.

[0203]The Connectors 304 are logically linked to each other so as to form
a tree structure. The tree structure formed of the Connectors 304 is
referred to as a ConnectorTree (connector tree). The connector 304 is
created using a Service which is called a ConnectorFactory (connector
factory=connector generating unit) 303. The ConnectorFactory 303 creates
the Connectors 304 based upon a source document, and links the Connectors
304 to each other so as to create a ConnectorTree. The
VocabularyConnectionManager 302 holds the ConnectorFactory 303.

[0204]As described above, a vocabulary is a set of tags for a namespace.
As shown in the drawing, the VocabularyConnection 301 creates the
Vocabulary 305 for a document. Specifically, the Vocabulary 305 is
created by analyzing the document file, and then creating a proper
VocabularyConnectionManager 302 for mapping between the source DOM and
the destination DOM. Furthermore, a proper relation is created between
the ConnectorFactory 303 for creating the Connectors, the ZoneFactory 205
for creating the Zones 209, and the Editlet 206 for creating the
Canvases. In a case that the user has discarded or deleted a document
stored in the system, the corresponding VocabularyConnectionManager 302
is deleted.

[0205]The Vocabulary 305 creates the VCCanvas 310. Furthermore, the
connectors 304 and the destination DOM tree 306 are created corresponding
to the creation of the VCCanvas 310.

[0206]The source DOM and the Canvas correspond to the Model (M) and the
View (V), respectively. However, such a representation is useful only in
a case that the target vocabulary allows a document to be displayed on a
screen. With such an arrangement, the display is performed by the
vocabulary plug-in. Such a vocabulary plug-in is provided for each of the
principal vocabularies, e.g., XHTML, SVG, and MathML. Such a vocabulary
plug-in is used for the target vocabulary. Such an arrangement provides a
method for mapping a vocabulary to another vocabulary using a vocabulary
connection descriptor.

[0207]Such mapping is useful only in a case that the target vocabulary can
be mapped, and a method has been defined beforehand for displaying such a
document thus mapped on a screen. Such a rendering method is defined in
the form of a standard defined by an authority such as the W3C.

[0208]In a case that the processing requires vocabulary connection, the
VCCanvas is used. In this case, the view for the source cannot be
directly created, and accordingly, the Canvas for the source is not
created. In this case, the VCCanvas is created using the ConnectorTree.
The VCCanvas handles only the conversion of the event, but does not
support display of the document on a screen.

[0209]3. DestinationZone, Pane, and Canvas

[0210]As described above, the purpose of the vocabulary connection
sub-system is to create and hold two representations of a single document
at the same time. With such an arrangement, the second representation is
provided in the form of a DOM tree, which has been described as the
destination DOM tree. The display of the document in the form of the
second representation requires the DestinationZone, Canvas, and Pane.

[0211]When the VCCanvas is created, a corresponding DestinationPane 307 is
also created. Furthermore, a corresponding DestinationCanvas 308 and a
corresponding BoxTree 309 are created. Also, the VCCanvas 310 is
associated with the Pane 211 and the Zone 209 for the source document.

[0212]The DestinationCanvas 308 provides a logical layout of a document in
the form of the second representation. Specifically, the
DestinationCanvas 308 provides user interface functions such as a cursor
function and a selection function, for displaying a document in the form
of a destination representation of the document. The event occurring at
the DestinationCanvas 308 is supplied to the Connector. The
DestinationCanvas 308 notifies the Connector 304 of the occurrence of a
mouse event, a keyboard event, a drag-and-drop event, and events
particular to the destination representation (second representation).

[0213]4. Vocabulary Connection Command Sub-System

[0214]The vocabulary connection (VC) sub-system 300 includes a vocabulary
connection (VC) command sub-system 313 in the form of a component. The
vocabulary connection command sub-system 313 creates a VCCommand
(vocabulary connection command) 315 used for executing a command with
respect to the vocabulary connection sub-system 300. The VCCommand can be
created using a built-in CommandTemplate (command template) and/or
created from scratch using a script language supported by a script
sub-system 314.

[0215]Examples of such command templates include an "If" command template,
"When" command template, "Insert" command template, etc. These templates
are used for creating a VCCommand.

[0216]5. XPath Sub-System

[0217]An XPath sub-system 316 is an important component of the document
processing system, and supports the vocabulary connection. In general,
the Connector 304 includes XPath information. As described above, one of
the tasks of the vocabulary connection is to modify the destination DOM
tree according to the change in the source DOM tree. The XPath
information includes one or more XPath representations used for
determining a subset of the source DOM tree which is to be monitored to
detect changes and/or modifications.

[0219]The source DOM tree is a DOM tree or a Zone of a document described
in a vocabulary before vocabulary conversion. The source DOM tree node is
referred to as the source node.

[0220]On the other hand, the destination DOM tree is a DOM tree or a Zone
of the same document as that of the source DOM tree, and which is
described in another vocabulary after having been converted by mapping,
as described above in connection with the vocabulary connection. Here,
the destination DOM tree node is referred to as the destination node.

[0221]The ConnectorTree is a hierarchical representation which is formed
based upon the Connectors that represent the relation between the source
nodes and the destination nodes. The Connectors monitor the source node
and the modifications applied to the source document, and modify the
destination DOM tree. The Connector is the only object that is permitted
to modify the destination DOM tree.

[0222]E. Event Flow in the Document Processing System

[0223]In practice, the program needs to respond to the commands input from
the user. The "event" concept provides a method for describing and
executing the user action executed on a program. Many high-level
languages, e.g., Java (trademark) require events, each of which describes
a corresponding user action. On the other hand, conventional programs
need to actively collect information for analyzing the user's actions,
and for execution of the user's actions by the program itself. This means
that, after initialization of the program, the program enters loop
processing for monitoring the user's actions, which enables appropriate
processing to be performed in response to any user action input by the
user via the screen, keyboard, mouse, or the like. However, such a
process is difficult to manage. Furthermore, such an arrangement requires
a program which performs loop processing in order to wait for the user's
actions, leading to a waste of CPU cycles.

[0224]Many languages employ distinctive paradigms in order to solve such
problems. One of these paradigms is event-driven programming, which is
employed as the basis of all current window-based systems. In this
paradigm, all user actions belong to sets of abstract phenomena which are
called "events". An event provides a sufficiently detailed description of
a corresponding user action. With such an arrangement, in a case that an
event to be monitored has occurred, the system notifies the program to
that effect, instead of an arrangement in which the program actively
collects events occurring according to the user's actions. A program that
communicates with the user using such a method is referred to as an
"event-driven" program.

[0225]In many cases, such an arrangement handles an event using a "Event"
class that acquires the basic properties of all the events which can
occur according to the user's actions.

[0226]Before the use of the document processing system, the events for the
document processing system itself and a method for handling such events
are defined. With such an arrangement, several types of events are used.
For example, a mouse event is an event that occurs according to the
action performed by the user via a mouse. The user action involving the
mouse is transmitted to the mouse event by the Canvas 210. As described
above, it can be said that the Canvas is the foremost level of
interaction between the user and the system. As necessary, this foremost
Canvas level hands over the event content to the child levels.

[0227]On the other hand, a keystroke event is issued from the Canvas 210.
The keystroke event acquires a real-time focus. That is to say, a
keystroke event always involves an operation. The keystroke event input
to the Canvas 210 is also transmitted to the parent of the Canvas 210.
Key input actions are processed via other events that allows the user to
insert a character string. The event for handling the insertion of a
character string occurs according to the user action in which a character
is input via the keyboard. Examples of "other events" include other
events which are handled in the same way as a drag event, a drop event,
and a mouse event.

[0228]1. Handling of an Event Outside of the Vocabulary Connection

[0229]An event is transmitted using an event thread. The state of the
Canvas 210 is modified upon reception of an event. As necessary, the
Canvas 210 posts the Command 1052 to the CommandQueue 1053.

[0230]2. Handling of an Event Within the Vocabulary Connection

[0231]An XHTMLCanvas 1106, which is an example of the DestinationCanvas,
receives events that occur, e.g., a mouse event, a keyboard event, a
drag-and-drop event, and events particular to the vocabulary, using the
VocabularyConnection plug-in 301. The connector 1104 is notified of these
events. More specifically, the event passes through a SourcePane 1103, a
VCCanvas 1104, a DestinationPane 1105, a DestinationCanvas 1106 which is
an example of the DestinationCanvas, a destination DOM tree, and a
ConnectorTree, within the VocabularyConnection plug-in, as shown in FIG.
21(b).

[0232]F. ProgramInvoker and the Relation between ProgramInvoker and Other
Components

[0233]FIG. 14(a) shows the ProgramInvoker 103 and the relation between the
ProgramInvoker 103 and other components in more detail. The
ProgramInvoker 103 is a basic program executed under the execution
environment, which starts up the document processing system. As shown in
FIG. 11(b) and FIG. 11(c), the UserApplication 106, the ServiceBroker
1041, the CommandInvoker 1051, and the Resource 109 are each connected to
the ProgramInvoker 103. As described above, the application 102 is a
component executed under the execution environment. Also, the
ServiceBroker 1041 manages the plug-ins, which provide various functions
to the system. On the other hand, the CommandInvoker 1051 executes a
command provided from the user, and holds the classes and functions for
executing the command.

[0234]1. Plug-In and Service

[0235]A more detailed description will be made regarding the ServiceBroker
1041 with reference to FIG. 14(b). As described above, the CommandInvoker
1041 manages the plug-ins (and corresponding services), which allows
various functions to be added to the system. The Service 1042 is the
lowermost layer, having a function of adding the features to the document
processing system, and a function of modifying the features of the
document processing system. A "Service" consists of two parts, i.e., a
part formed of ServiceCategories 401 and another part formed of
ServiceProviders 402. As shown in FIG. 14(c), one ServiceCategory 401 may
include multiple corresponding ServiceProviders 402. Each ServiceProvider
operates a part of, or the entire functions of, the corresponding
ServiceCategory. Also, the ServiceCategory 401 defines the type of
Service.

[0236]The Services can be classified into three types, i.e., a "feature
service" which provides predetermined features to the document processing
system, an "application service" which is an application executed by the
document processing system, and an "environment" service that provides
the features necessary throughout the document processing system.

[0237]FIG. 14(d) shows an example of a Service. In this example, with
respect to the Category of the application Service, the system utility
corresponds to the ServiceProvider. In the same way, the Editlet 206 is
the Category, and an HTMLEditlet and the SVGEditlet are the corresponding
ServiceProviders. Also, the ZoneFactory 205 is another Service Category,
and has a corresponding ServiceProvider (not shown).

[0238]As described above, a plug-in adds functions to the document
processing system. Also, a plug-in can be handled as a unit that
comprises several ServiceProviders 402 and the classes that correspond to
the ServiceProviders 402. Each plug-in has dependency specified in the
definition file and a ServiceCategory 401.

[0239]2. Relation between the ProgramInvoker and the Application

[0240]FIG. 14(e) shows the relation between the ProgramInvoker 103 and the
UserApplication 106 in more detail. The required documents and data are
loaded from the storage. All the required plug-ins are loaded in the
ServiceBroker 1041. The ServiceBroker 1041 holds and manages all the
plug-ins. Each plug-in is physically added to the system. Also, the
functions of the plug-in can be loaded from the storage. When the content
of a plug-in is loaded, the ServiceBroker 1041 defines the corresponding
plug-in. Subsequently, a corresponding UserApplication 106 is created,
and the UserApplication 106 thus created is loaded in the execution
environment 101, thereby attaching the plug-in to the ProgramInvoker 103.

[0241]G. The Relation between the Application Service and the Environment

[0242]FIG. 15(a) shows the configuration of the application service loaded
in the ProgramInvoker 103 in more detail. The CommandInvoker 1051, which
is a component of the command sub-system 105, starts up or executes the
Command 1052 in the ProgramInvoker 103. With such a document processing
system, the Command 1052 is a command used for processing a document such
as an XML document, and editing the corresponding XML DOM tree. The
CommandInvoker 1051 holds the classes and functions required to execute
the Command 1052.

[0243]Also, the ServiceBroker 1041 is executed within the ProgramInvoker
103. The UserApplication 106 is connected to the user interface 107 and
the CoreComponent 110. The CoreComponent 110 provides a method which
allows all the Panes to share a document. Furthermore, the CoreComponent
110 provides a font, and serves as a tool kit for the Pane.

[0244]FIG. 15(b) shows the relation between the Frame 1071, the MenuBar
1072, and the StatusBar 1073.

[0245]H. Application Core

[0246]FIG. 16(a) provides a more detailed description of the application
core 108, which holds the whole document, and a part of the document, and
the data of the document. The CoreComponent 110 is attached to the
DocumentManager 1081 for managing the documents 1082. The DocumentManager
1081 is the owner of all the documents 1082 stored in memory in
association with the document processing system.

[0247]In order to display a document on a screen in a simple manner, the
DocumentManager 1081 is also connected to the RootPane 1084. Also, the
functions of the Clipboard 1087, a Drag&Drop 601, and an Overlay 602 are
attached to the CoreComponent 110.

[0248]The SnapShot 1088 is used for restoring the application to a given
state. Upon the user executing the SnapShot 1088, the current state of
the application is detected and stored. Subsequently, when the
application state changes, the content of the application state thus
stored is maintained. FIG. 16(b) shows the operation of the SnapShot
1088. With such an arrangement, upon the application switching from one
URL to another, the SnapShot 1088 stores the previous state. Such an
arrangement allows operations to be performed forward and backward in a
seamless manner.

[0249]I. Document Structure Within the DocumentManager

[0250]FIG. 17(a) provides a more detailed description of the
DocumentManager 1081, and shows the DocumentManager holding documents
according to a predetermined structure. As shown in FIG. 11(b), the
DocumentManager 1081 manages the documents 1082. With an example shown in
FIG. 17(a), one of the multiple documents is a RootDocument (root
document) 701, and the other documents are SubDocuments (sub-documents)
702. The DocumentManager 1081 is connected to the RootDocument 701.
Furthermore, the RootDocument 701 is connected to all the SubDocuments
702.

[0251]As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 17(a), the DocumentManager 1081 is
connected to the DocumentContainer 203, which is an object for managing
all the documents 1082. The tools that form a part of the tool kit 201
(e.g., XML tool kit) including a DOMService 703 and an IOManager 704 are
supplied to the DocumentManager 1081. Referring to FIG. 17(a) again, the
DOM service 703 creates a DOM tree based upon a document managed by the
DocumentManager 1081. Each document 705, whether it is a RootDocument 701
or a SubDocument 702, is managed by a corresponding DocumentContainer
203.

[0252]FIG. 17(b) shows the documents A through E managed in a hierarchical
manner. The document A is a RootDocument. On the other hand, the
documents B through D are the SubDocuments of the document A. The
document E is the SubDocument of the document D. The left side in FIG.
17(b) shows an example of the documents displayed on a screen according
to the aforementioned hierarchical management structure. In this example,
the document A, which is the RootDocument, is displayed in the form of a
base frame. On the other hand, the documents B through D, which are the
SubDocuments of the document A, are displayed in the form of sub-frames
included in the base frame A. On the other hand, the document E, which is
the SubDocument of the document D, is displayed on a screen in the form
of a sub-frame of the sub-frame D.

[0253]Referring to FIG. 17(a) again, an UndoManager (undo manager=undo
management unit) 706 and an UndoWrapper (undo wrapper) 707 are created
for each DocumentContainer 203. The UndoManager 706 and the UndoWrapper
707 are used for executing an undoable command. Such a feature allows the
user to reverse a modification which has been applied to the document
according to an editing operation. Here, the modification of the
SubDocument significantly affects the RootDocument. The undo operation
performed under such an arrangement gives consideration to the
modification that affects other hierarchically managed documents, thereby
preserving the document integrity over all the documents managed in a
particular hierarchical chain, as shown in FIG. 17(b), for example.

[0254]The UndoWrapper 707 wraps undo objects with respect to the
SubDocuments stored in the DocumentContainer 203. Then, the UndoWrapper
707 connects the undo objects thus wrapped to the undo object with
respect to the RootDocument. With such an arrangement, the UndoWrapper
707 acquires available undo objects for an UndoableEditAcceptor (undoable
edit acceptor=undoable edit reception unit) 709.

[0255]The UndoManager 706 and the UndoWrapper 707 are connected to the
UndoableEditAcceptor 709 and an UndoableEditSource (undoable edit source)
708. Note that the Document 705 may be the UndoableEditSource 708 or a
source of an undoable edit object, as can be readily understood by those
skilled in this art.

[0256]J. Undo Command and Undo Framework

[0257]FIG. 18(a) and FIG. 18(b) provide a more detailed description with
respect to an undo framework and an undo command. As shown in FIG. 18(a),
an UndoCommand 801, RedoCommand 802, and an UndoableEditCommand 803 are
commands that can be loaded in the CommandInvoker 1051, and which are
serially executed. The UndoableEditCommand 803 is further attached to the
UndoableEditSource 708 and the UndoableEditAcceptor 709. Examples of such
undoableEditCommands include a "foo" EditCommand 804 and a "bar"
EditCommand 805.

[0258]1. Execution of UndoableEditCommand

[0259]FIG. 18(b) shows execution of the UndoableEditCommand. First, let us
consider a case in which the user edits the Document 705 using an edit
command. In the first step S1, the UndoableEditAcceptor 709 is attached
to the UndoableEditSource 708 which is a DOM tree of the Document 705. In
the second step S2, the Document 705 is edited using an API for the DOM
according to a command issued by the user. In the third step S3, a
listener of the mutation event is notified of the modification. That is
to say, in this step, the listener that monitors all modifications made
to the DOM tree detects such an edit operation. In the fourth step S4,
the UndoableEdit is stored as an object of the UndoManager 706. In the
fifth step S5, the UndoableEditAcceptor 709 is detached from the
UndoableEditSource 708. Here, the UndoableEditSource 708 may be the
Document 705 itself.

[0260]K. Procedure for Loading a Document to the System

[0261]Description has been made in the aforementioned sub-sections
regarding various components and sub-components of the system.
Description will be made below regarding methods for using such
components. FIG. 19(a) shows the outline of the operation for loading a
document to the document processing system. Detailed description will be
made regarding each step with reference to examples shown in FIGS. 24
through 28.

[0262]In brief, the document processing system creates a DOM based upon
the document data which is provided in the form of a binary data stream.
First, an ApexNode (apex node=top node) is created for the targeted part
of the document, which is a part of the document that belongs to the
Zone. Subsequently, the corresponding Pane is identified. The Pane thus
identified generates the Zone and Canvas from the ApexNode and the
physical screen. Then, the Zone creates a Facet for each node, and
provides the necessary information to the Facets. On the other hand, the
Canvas creates a data structure for rendering the nodes based upon the
DOM tree.

[0263]More specifically, the document is loaded from a storage 901. Then,
a DOM tree 902 of the document is created. Subsequently, a corresponding
DocumentContainer 903 is created for holding the document. The
DocumentContainer 903 is attached to the DocumentManager 904. The DOM
tree includes the root node, and in some cases includes multiple
secondary nodes.

[0264]Such a document generally includes both text data and graphics data.
Accordingly, the DOM tree may include an SVG sub-tree, in addition to an
XHTML sub-tree. The XHTML sub-tree includes an ApexNode 905 for XHTML. In
the same way, the SVG sub-tree includes an ApexNode 906 for SVG.

[0265]In Step 1, the ApexNode 906 is attached to a Pane 907 which is a
logical layout of the screen. In Step 2, the Pane 907 issues a request
for the CoreComponent which is the PaneOwner (pane owner=owner of the
pane) 908 to provide a ZoneFactory for the ApexNode 906. In Step 3, in
the form of a response, the PaneOwner 908 provides the ZoneFactory and
the Editlet which is a CanvasFactory for the ApexNode 906.

[0266]In Step 4, the Pane 907 creates a Zone 909. The Zone 909 is attached
to the Pane 907. In Step 5, the Zone 909 creates a Facet for each node,
and attaches the Facets thus created to the respective nodes. In Step 6,
the Pane 907 creates a Canvas 910. The Canvas 910 is attached to the Pane
907. The Canvas 910 includes various Commands. In Step 7, the Canvas 910
creates a data structure for rendering the document on a screen. In a
case of XHTML, the data structure includes a box tree structure.

[0267]1. MVC of the Zone

[0268]FIG. 19(b) shows the outline of a structure of the Zone using the
MVC paradigm. In this case, with respect to a document, the Zone and the
Facets are the input, and accordingly the model (M) includes the Zone and
the Facets. On the other hand, the Canvas and the data structure for
rendering a document on a screen are the output, in the form of an image
displayed on a screen for the user. Accordingly, the view (V) corresponds
to the Canvas and the data structure. The Command executes control
operations for the document and the various components that correspond to
the document. Accordingly, the control (C) includes the Commands included
in the Canvas.

[0269]L. Representation of a Document

[0270]Description will be made below regarding an example of a document
and various representations thereof. The document used in this example
includes both text data and image data. The text data is represented
using XHTML, and the image data is represented using SVG. FIG. 20 shows
in detail the relation between the components of the document and the
corresponding objects represented in the MVC. In this example, a Document
1001 is attached to a DocumentContainer 1002 for holding the Document
1001. The document is represented in the form of a DOM tree 1003. The DOM
tree includes an ApexNode 1004.

[0271]The ApexNode is indicated by a solid circle. Each of the nodes other
than the ApexNode is indicated by an empty circle. Each Facet used for
editing the node is indicated by a triangle, and is attached to the
corresponding node. Here, the document includes text data and image data.
Accordingly, the DOM tree of the document includes an XHTML component and
an SVG component. The ApexNode 1004 is the top node of the XHTML
sub-tree. The ApexNode 1004 is attached to an XHTMLPane 1005 which is the
top pane for physically representing the XHTML component of the document.
Furthermore, the ApexNode 1004 is attached to an XHTMLZone 1006 which is
a part of the DOM tree of the document.

[0272]Also, the Facet that corresponds to the Node 1004 is attached to the
XHTMLZone 1006. The XHTMLZone 1006 is attached to the XHTMLPane 1005. The
XHTMLEditlet creates a XHTMLCanvas 1007 which is a logical representation
of the document. The XHTMLCanvas 1007 is attached to the XHTMLPane 1005.
The XHTMLCanvas 1007 creates a BoxTree 1009 for the XHTML component of
the Document 1001. Various commands 1008 necessary for holding and
displaying the XHTML component of the document are added to the
XHTMLCanvas 1007.

[0273]In the same way, an ApexNode 1010 of the SVG sub-tree of the
document is attached to an SVGZone 1011 which is a part of the DOM tree
of the document 1001, and which represents the SVG component of the
document. The ApexNode 1010 is attached to an SVGPane 1013 which is the
top Pane for physically representing the SVG part of the document. An
SVGCanvas 1012 for logically representing the SVG component of the
document is created by the SVGEditlet, and is attached to an SVGPane
1013. The data structure and the commands for rendering the SVG component
of the document on a screen are attached to the SVGCanvas. For example,
this data structure may include circles, lines, and rectangles, and so
forth, as shown in the drawing.

[0274]While description has been made regarding the representation of a
document with reference to FIG. 20, further description will be made
regarding a part of such examples of the representations of the document
using the above-described MVC paradigm with reference to FIG. 21(a). FIG.
21(a) shows a simplified relation between M and V (MV) with respect to
the XHTML components of the document 1001. In this case, the model is the
XHTMLZone 1101 for the XHTML component of the Document 1001. The tree
structure of the XHTMLZone includes several Nodes and the corresponding
Facets. With such an arrangement, the corresponding XHTMLZone and the
Pane are a part of the model (M) component of the MVC paradigm. On the
other hand, the view (V) component of the MVC paradigm corresponds to the
XHTMLCanvas 1102 and the BoxTree that correspond to the XHTML component
of the Document 1001. With such an arrangement, the XHTML component of
the document is displayed on a screen using the Canvas and the Commands
included in the Canvas. Note that the events occurring due to the
keyboard action and the mouse input proceed in the opposite direction to
that of the output.

[0275]The SourcePane provides an additional function, i.e., serves as a
DOM owner. FIG. 21(b) shows the operation in which the vocabulary
connection is provided for the components of the Document 1001 shown in
FIG. 21(a). The SourcePane 1103 that serves as a DOM holder includes a
source DOM tree of the document. The ConnectorTree 1104 is created by the
ConnectorFactory, and creates the DestinationPane 1105 which also serves
as an owner of the destination DOM. The DestinationPane 1105 is provided
in the form of the XHTMLDestinationCanvas 1106 having a box tree layout.

[0276]M. The Relation between Plug-In Sub-System, Vocabulary Connection,
and Connector

[0277]FIGS. 22(a) through 22(c) provide further detailed description with
respect to the plug-in sub-system, the vocabulary connection, and the
Connector, respectively. The Plug-in sub-system is used for adding a
function to the document processing system or for replacing a function of
the document processing system. The plug-in sub-system includes the
ServiceBroker 1041. A ZoneFactoryService 1201 attached to the
ServiceBroker 1041 creates a Zone that corresponds to a part of the
document. Also, an EditletService 1202 is attached to the ServiceBroker
1041. The EditletService 1202 creates a Canvas that corresponds to the
Nodes included in the Zone.

[0278]Examples of the ZoneFactories include an XHTMLZoneFactory 1211 and
an SVGZoneFactory 1212, which create an XHTMLZone and an SVGZone,
respectively. As described above with reference to an example of the
document, the text components of the document may be represented by
creating an XHTMLZone. On the other hand, the image data may be
represented using an SVGZone. Examples of the EditletService includes an
XHTMLEditlet 1221 and an SVGEditlet 1222.

[0279]FIG. 22(b) shows the vocabulary connection in more detail. The
vocabulary connection is an important feature of the document processing
system, which allows a document to be represented and displayed in two
different manners while maintaining the integrity of the document. The
VCManager 302 that holds the ConnectorFactory 303 is a part of the
vocabulary connection sub-system. The ConnectorFactory 303 creates the
Connector 304 for the document. As described above, the Connector
monitors the node included in the source DOM, and modifies the node
included in the destination DOM so as to maintain the integrity of the
connection between the two representations.

[0280]A Template 317 represents several node conversion rules. The
vocabulary connection descriptor (VCD) file is a template list which
represents several rules for converting a particular path, an element, or
a set of elements that satisfies a predetermined rule into another
element. All the Templates 317 and CommandTemplates 318 are attached to
the VCManager 302. The VCManager is an object for managing all the
sections included in the VCD file. A VCManager object is created for each
VCD file.

[0281]FIG. 22(c) provides further detailed description with respect to the
Connector. The ConnectorFactory 303 creates a Connector based upon the
source document. The ConnectorFactory 303 is attached to the Vocabulary,
the Template, and the ElementTemplate, thereby creating a
VocabularyConnector, a TemplateConnector, and an ElementConnector,
respectively.

[0282]The VCManager 302 holds the ConnectorFactory 303. In order to create
a Vocabulary, the corresponding VCD file is read out. As described above,
the ConnectorFactory 303 is created. The ConnectorFactory 303 corresponds
to the ZoneFactory for creating a Zone, and the Editlet for creating a
Canvas.

[0283]Subsequently, the EditletService for the target vocabulary creates a
VCCanvas. The VCCanvas also creates the Connector for the ApexNode
included in the source DOM tree or the Zone. As necessary, a Connector is
created recursively for each child. The ConnectorTree is created using a
set of the templates stored in the VCD file.

[0284]The template is a set of rules for converting elements of a markup
language to other elements. For example, each template is matched to a
source DOM tree or a Zone. In a case of a suitable match, an apex
Connector is created. For example, a template "A/*/D" matches all the
branches starting from the node A and ending with the node D. In the same
way, a template "//B" matches all the "B" nodes from the root.

[0285]N. Example of VCD File with Respect to ConnectorTree

[0286]Further description will be made regarding an example of the
processing with respect to a predetermined document. In this example, a
document entitled "MySampleXML" is loaded in the document processing
system. FIG. 23 shows an example of the VCD script for the "MySampleXML"
file, which uses the VCManager and the ConnectorFactoryTree. In this
example, the script file includes a vocabulary section, a template
section, and a component that corresponds to the VCManager. With regard
to the tag "vcd:vocabulary", the attribute "match" is set to
"sample:root", the attribute "label" is set to "MySampleXML", and the
attribute "call-template" is set to "sample template".

[0287]In this example, with regard to the VCManager for the document
"MySampleXML", the Vocabulary includes the apex element "sample:root".
The corresponding UI label is "MySampleXML". In the template section, the
tag is "vcd:template", and the name is set to "sample:template".

[0288]O. Detailed Description of an Example of a Method for Loading a File
to the System

[0289]FIGS. 24 through 28 provide a detailed description regarding loading
the document "MySampleXML" in the system. In Step 1 shown in FIG. 24(a),
the document is loaded from a storage 1405. The DOMService creates a DOM
tree and a DocumentContainer 1401 that corresponds to the DocumentManager
1406. The DocumentContainer 1401 is attached to the DocumentManager 1406.
The document includes an XHTML sub-tree and a MySampleXML sub-tree. With
such a document, the ApexNode 1403 in the XHTML sub-tree is the top node
of the XHTML sub-tree, to which the tag "xhtml:html" is assigned. On the
other hand, the ApexNode 1404 in the "MySampleXML" sub-tree is the top
node of the "MySampleXML" sub-tree, to which the tag "sample:root" is
assigned.

[0290]In Step S2 shown in FIG. 24(b), the RootPane creates an XHTMLZone,
Facets, and a Canvas. Specifically, a Pane 1407, an XHTMLZone 1408, an
XHTMLCanvas 1409, and a BoxTree 1410 are created corresponding to the
ApexNode 1403.

[0291]In Step S3 shown in FIG. 24(c), the tag "sample:root" that is not
understood under the XHTMLZone sub-tree is detected, and a SubPane is
created in the XHTMLCanvas region.

[0292]In Step 4 shown in FIG. 25, the SubPane can handle the
"sample:root", thereby providing a ZoneFactory having a function of
creating an appropriate zone. The ZoneFactory is included in the
vocabulary, and the vocabulary can execute the ZoneFactory. The
vocabulary includes the content of the VocabularySection specified in
"MySampleXML".

[0293]In Step 5 shown in FIG. 26, the Vocabulary that corresponds to
"MySampleXML" creates a DefaultZone 1601. In order to create a
corresponding Editlet for creating a corresponding Canvas, a SubPane 1501
is provided. The Editlet creates a VCCanvas. The VCCanvas calls the
TemplateSection including a ConnectorFactoryTree. The
ConnectorFactoryTree creates all the connectors that form the
ConnectorTree.

[0294]In Step S6 shown in FIG. 27, each Connector creates a corresponding
destination DOM object. Some of the connectors include XPath information.
Here, the XPath information includes one or more XPath representations
used for determining a partial set of the source DOM tree which is to be
monitored for changes and modifications.

[0295]In Step S7 shown in FIG. 28, the vocabulary creates a
DestinationPane for the destination DOM tree based upon the pane for the
source DOM. Specifically, the DestinationPane is created based upon the
SourcePane. The ApexNode of the destination tree is attached to the
DestinationPane and the corresponding Zone. The DestinationPane creates a
DestinationCanvas. Furthermore, the DestinationPane is provided with a
data structure for rendering the document in a destination format and an
Editlet for the DestinationPane itself.

[0296]FIG. 29(a) shows a flow in a case in which an event has occurred at
a node in the destination tree that has no corresponding source node. In
this case, the event acquired by the Canvas is transmitted to an
ElementTemplateConnector via the destination tree. The
ElementTemplateConnector has no corresponding source node, and
accordingly, the event thus transmitted does not involve an edit
operation for the source node. In a case that the event thus transmitted
matches any of the commands described in the CommandTemplate, the
ElementTemplateConnector executes the Action that corresponds to the
command. On the other hand, in a case that there is no corresponding
command, the ElementTemplateConnector ignores the event thus transmitted.

[0297]FIG. 29(b) shows a flow in a case in which an event has occurred at
a node in the destination tree that has been associated with a source
node via a TextOfConnector. The TextOfConnector acquires the text node
from the node in the source DOM tree specified by the XPath, and maps the
text node to the corresponding node in the destination DOM tree. The
event acquired by the Canvas, such as a mouse event, a keyboard event, or
the like, is transmitted to the TextOfConnector via the destination tree.
The TextOfConnector maps the event thus transmitted to a corresponding
edit command for the corresponding source node, and the edit command thus
mapped is loaded in the CommandQueue 1053. The edit commands are provided
in the form of an API call set for the DOM executed via the Facet. When
the command loaded in the queue is executed, the source node is edited.
When the source node is edited, a mutation event is issued, thereby
notifying the TextOfConnector, which has been registered as a listener,
of the modification of the source node. Then, the TextOfConnector
rebuilds the destination tree such that the destination node is modified
according to the modification of the source node. In this stage, in a
case that the template including the TextOfConnector includes a control
statement such as "for each", "for loop", or the like, the
ConnectorFactory reanalyzes the control statement. Furthermore, the
TextOfConnector is rebuilt, following which the destination tree is
rebuilt.

FIRST EMBODIMENT

[0298]The first embodiment proposes a technique in which data sets are
acquired from multiple document files, and are arranged in a
predetermined format, thereby constructing and displaying a single
virtual document.

[0299]Upon reading out a document file (which will be referred to as a
"main document file" hereafter) which stores the information that serves
as a key for integrating the data sets, the document processing apparatus
acquires a definition file associated with the main document file. Here,
the definition file may be specified in the main document file. Also, the
definition file may be selected based upon the namespace of the
vocabulary used for describing the content of the main document file. The
definition file specifies a rule used for integrating the data sets
acquired from other document files (which will be referred to as
"sub-document files" hereafter) based upon the key stored in the main
document file. Based upon the key and the rule, the document processing
apparatus 20 constructs a virtual document by integrating predetermined
data sets acquired from the sub-document files.

[0300]FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram which shows the relation among the
files according to the present embodiment. First, the VC unit 80 reads
out sub-document files 3310a through 3310d based upon the information
described in a main document file 3318 and the rule described in a
definition file 3320. Here, a single sub-document file 3310 may be
employed, or multiple sub-document files 3310 may be employed. In this
example, let us consider an arrangement in which the four sub-document
files 3310a through 3310d are employed. With such an arrangement, the DOM
creating unit 34 creates a DOM tree for each sub-document. Furthermore,
the VC unit 80 creates a connector tree based upon a template described
in the definition file 3320, and creates a destination tree based upon
the connector tree. The connector tree holds the correspondence between
the destination tree and the source tree formed of the DOM tree of the
main document and the DOM trees of the sub-documents. The destination
tree is displayed by a display/editing system plug-in for handling a
given vocabulary, e.g., the HTML unit 50, thereby allowing these document
files to be edited in the form of a virtual document 3322.

[0301]With such an arrangement, the main document file 3318 and fragments
3312a through 3312d stored in the sub-document files 3310a through 310d
are suitably extracted, and are arranged so as to construct a single
virtual document, thereby allowing these document files to be displayed
and edited. Here, the term "fragment" as used here means a data fragment
described in a structured language such as XML, and corresponds to a
sub-tree of the data hierarchized in the form of a tree. Such an
arrangement allows the user to edit such a virtual document (destination
tree) thus constructed, as if the user were handling a single document,
without concerning for the fact that the virtual document is formed of
the data sets stored in multiple document files. Here, the fragments
3312a through 3312d may be extracted from a predetermined location in the
multiple sub-document files 3310a through 3310d having the same
structure. Also, the fragments 3312a through 3312d may be extracted from
respective locations in the multiple sub-document files 3310a through
3310d having different structures.

[0302]Note that FIG. 30 shows an arrangement in which the main document
file 3318 and the definition file 3320 are provided in the form of
separate files. Also, the content of the definition file 3320 may be
embedded in the main document file 3318. That is to say, these files may
be provided in the form of a single actual file. In the same way, the
main document file 3318 and the sub-document files 3310 may be provided
in the form of a single actual file. That is to say, the main document
file 3318 may include the locations from which the fragments are to be
read out, which are determined by the information described in the main
document file 3318 and the rule described in the definition file 3320. In
other words, any combination of the main document file 3318, the
sub-document file 3310, and the definition file 3320 may be provided in
the form of a single file. That is to say, there is no need to provide
such files in the form of separate actual files.

[0303]Description will be made regarding an arrangement in which a sales
report is created by each member in a department, and a leader displays
in the form of a list the sales reports thus created by the respective
members. FIG. 31 shows an example of a screen created in a case of
displaying the sales reports in the form of a list. In this example, each
of the members, named A through E, creates a sales report file
(sub-document file) in his/her own directory using a predetermined
vocabulary. Upon the leader opening a list file (main document file) that
stores the information such as the names of the members and so forth, a
list display definition file associated with the list file is read out.
The list display definition file specifies a rule for creating the file
names of the sales report files created by the members and the pathnames
of the directories that store the respective sales report files, based
upon the names of the members. The document processing apparatus 20
acquires the sales report file of each member according to the rule.
Furthermore, the list display definition file specifies a template for
display operation. With such an arrangement, the destination tree is
created according to the template. For example, with the sales report
created by each member, the data sets such as the sales, the date, the
customer names, and so forth, are associated with the respective nodes of
the destination tree. With such an arrangement, a sales report screen
3350 displays in the form of a list the sales data sets for the members
specified in the list file, i.e., in the form of a sales data table 3352.
Upon the leader opening the list file, the list display definition file
provides a function of integrating the fragments. Such an arrangement
allows the leader to display and edit the list of the sales reports
without concerning for the fact that these sales reports of the members
are stored in the form of multiple separate files.

[0304]The list display definition file specifies the commands that allow
the user to add the key to or remove the key from the main document file.
In the aforementioned example, the list display definition file specifies
the commands that allow the user to add a member to or remove a member.
With such an arrangement, these commands are provided in the form of an
"addition" button" 3354 and a "removal" button 3356 displayed on the
sales report screen 3350. Also, these commands may be provided in the
form an unshown separate menu window, which allows the user to select
such a function via the separate menu window. Upon the leader issuing the
member addition or the member removal command by pressing the "addition"
button 3354 or the "removal" button 3356, the document processing
apparatus 20 opens an unshown popup window which allows the leader to
input the name of the member to be added or to be removed, for example.
With such an arrangement, upon reception of the name, the member name
that corresponds to the name thus input is added to or removed from the
list file. In this stage, the source tree of the list file is modified,
and the VC unit 80 is notified of the modification via a mutation event,
and the VC unit 80 rebuilds the destination tree. More specifically, in a
case that a member has been added, the document processing apparatus 20
newly reads out the sales report file created by the member thus added,
and rebuilds the destination tree. On the other hand, in a case that a
member has been removed, the source tree of the sales report file created
by the member thus removed may be discarded, or may be held for the undo
operation. As described above, with such an arrangement, a field is
inserted into or removed from the sales data table 3352 corresponding to
the addition or removal of the member.

[0305]When a document edited is stored, all of the main document file 3318
and the sub-document files 3310 may be stored at the same time. Also,
only the files edited may be stored. For example, let us consider a case
in which, after the leader has modified the sales report of a certain
member, the leader issues a command to store the document. In this case,
such an arrangement may store only the sales report thus modified. Also,
an arrangement may be made in which, at the time of storing the document
file, the main document file 3318 records the dates and times at which
the sub-document files 3310 are stored. With such an arrangement, upon
next opening the main document file 3318, the update date and time are
acquired for each sub-document file 3310. Then, comparison is made
between the storage dates and times stored in the main document file 3318
and the update dates and times thus acquired. In a case that there is any
sub-document file 3310 that has been updated after the storage date and
time, the data acquired from such sub-document file 3310 may be displayed
in a manner that allows it to be distinguished. Examples of such manners
include: a manner that blinks the data thus modified; a manner that
underlines the data thus modified; etc. Such data is thereby displayed in
a highlighted form.

[0306]The main document file 3318 may store any information with respect
to the sub-document files 3310, in addition to the dates and times at
which the sub-document files were stored. For example, the main document
file 3318 may also store the information that indicates the outline of
the contents of the sub-document files 3310. With such an arrangement,
upon opening the main document file 3318, first, the outline recorded in
the main document file 3318 may be displayed. Also, with such an
arrangement, upon reception of a request from the user to display the
detailed information, the necessary fragments may be acquired from the
sub-document files 3310 so as to display such information in more detail.
With such an arrangement, the main document file 3318 also stores the
date and time at which the outline information was stored for each
sub-document files 3310. With such an arrangement, when the sub-document
files 3310 are accessed according to a request from the user to display
the information in more detail, comparison is made between the final
update dates and times of the sub-document files 3310 and the dates and
times at which the outline information was stored for the sub-document
files 3310. In a case that there is any sub-document file 3310 that has
been updated at the final update date and time after the storage date and
time, the outline information is also updated for the corresponding
sub-document file 3310, which is stored in the main document file 3318.

[0307]Also, multiple different definition files 3320 may be prepared for
the main document file 3318. Such an arrangement allows various forms of
virtual documents to be created corresponding to how the documents are to
be used. For example, a definition file 3320 for displaying only the
sales in the form of a list and another definition file 3320 for
displaying the sales and the comments in the form of a list may be
prepared, and the definition file may be switched therebetween.

SECOND EMBODIMENT

[0308]The second embodiment proposes a technique which allows multiple
users to share and edit a single document. Here, in practice, the content
of the aforementioned "single document" edited by the multiple users is
stored in the form of multiple separate document files. The document
processing apparatus 20 has a function of integrating the data sets
stored in the multiple separate document files, and a function of
displaying the data sets thus integrated. Such an arrangement allows the
multiple users to edit the single virtual document thus constructed.

[0309]Description will be made regarding a "group e-mail" which is used
for circulating a document among multiple menders so as to receive a
reply from each member. Let us consider a group e-mail provided in a form
that allows multiple members to edit a single document. With such an
arrangement, during a period when a member is writing his/her reply to
the document, the document is locked, leading to a situation in which
other members cannot write their reply to the document. Such an exclusive
processing leads to a problem of requiring a large amount of processing
time for obtaining replies from a large number of members.

[0310]On the other hand, with the present embodiment, the technique
described in the first embodiment is applied. Specifically, a single
group e-mail is divided into multiple sub-document files. Such an
arrangement allows each member to write his/her own reply to the
corresponding sub-document file assigned to the user. Accordingly, such
an arrangement does not involve the exclusive processing, thereby
allowing the members to edit the document at the same time. Thus, such an
arrangement provides a function of obtaining the member's replies at a
high speed even if a large number of members need to edit the group
e-mail. Furthermore, with such an arrangement, the file is divided into
multiple sub-files in a form that allows each member to edit their
corresponding sub-file. Such an arrangement properly specifies the
permission to edit the file only by designating the access restriction
placed on the file. The relation among these files is the same as that
described with reference to FIG. 30. Accordingly, these files will be
denoted by the same reference numerals in the following description.

[0311]FIG. 32 is a diagram for describing the relation between an example
of a list display screen that displays a group e-mail and replies and the
sub-document files 3310 according to the present embodiment. At the time
the document processing apparatus 20 creates a group e-mail, first the
definition file 3320 used for browsing and editing the group e-mail is
created, and the sub-document files 3310 are also created in the form of
empty files, the number of which equals to the number of members among
whom the group e-mail is to be circulated. In this step, the main
document file 3318 may be created, which includes a list of the key
information used for opening the sub-document files 3310, such as the
names of the members. Also, the definition file 3320 may include the
information used for opening the sub-document files 3310. The
sub-document files 3310 are created in the respective members' own
directories, and each sub-document file 3310 stores only the content
written by the corresponding member, for example. FIG. 32 shows an
example in which the sub-document files 3310a, 3310b, and 3310c are
created for members A, B, and C, respectively. With such an arrangement,
each sub-document file is stored in the corresponding user's own
directory. On the other hand, the definition file 3320 is used for all
the members as a common file. That is to say, upon a member opening a
group e-mail, the common definition file 3320 is applied, and all the
sub-document files 3310 that allow the respective members to write their
own reply are read out, thereby displaying the group e-mail. With the
template defined in the definition file 3320, upon the user, e.g., the
member A, opening the group e-mail, the "text-of" tag that indicates the
permission to edit the document is associated with only the source tree
of the sub-document file 3310a assigned to the member A. With such an
arrangement, upon the member A editing the group e-mail, editing
operation is executed for only the source tree of the sub-document file
assigned to the member A.

[0312]FIG. 32 shows an example of a screen of a group e-mail for inviting
ideas with respect to entertainment for a social gathering, created by an
organizer E, who is the group e-mail transmitter. A list display screen
3370 includes a content display region 3372 for displaying the group
e-mail and a reply display region 3376 for displaying, in the form of a
list, the content of the members' replies in response to the group
e-mail, which have been written to the sub-document files 3310a through
3310c by the members A through C, respectively. Furthermore, the
definition file 3320 used for displaying/editing the group e-mail
specifies a command used for displaying the content in the form of a
list. This command is displayed in the form of a "list display" button
3374. With such an arrangement, when only the content display region 3372
for the group e-mail and the "list display" button 3374 are being
displayed, upon the organizer E or any member pressing the "list display"
button 3374, the sub-document files 3310a through 3310c are acquired
based upon the information described in the definition file 3320, and the
replies are displayed in the reply display region 3376 in the form of a
list according to the template specified in the definition file 3320.

[0313]The display order of the contents of the sub-document files 3310 may
be recorded in the sub-document files 3310 or the definition file 3320.
For example, let us consider an arrangement in which the replies are
displayed in a manner such that, in a case that the member B has written
his/her reply after the member A has written his/her reply, the content
written by the member A is displayed above the content written by the
member B. With such an arrangement, each of the sub-document files 3310a
and 3310b, or the common definition file 3320 may record the date and
time at which the member wrote the content, the display coordinate point,
and so forth, for example. Also, the definition file may specify a rule
for determining the display order.

[0314]FIG. 32 shows an example in which the members' replies are displayed
in order of the date at which the reply was written. Specifically, FIG.
32 shows an example in which, after the member A has checked the replies
that were written by the member A, the member B, and the member C, in
that order, and which are displayed in the form of a list, the member A
writes a second reply to his/her own sub-document file A giving
consideration to the aforementioned replies. In this case, upon pressing
the "list display" button 3374 again after the member A has written the
second reply, the document processing apparatus 20 detects the newly
written content, based upon the update date and time thus recorded, and
adds the content thus detected to the items displayed in the reply
display region 3376. As a result, the list display screen 3370 is
displayed as shown in FIG. 32. With such an arrangement, the content is
displayed in order of the time at which the content was written. Such an
arrangement allows the user to follow the transition of the content thus
written. Also, the replies may be displayed in an order determined based
upon the content to be displayed. For example, the replies may be
displayed in a manner such that the replies are grouped for respective
members. Also, the replies may be displayed in a manner such that the
replies are grouped according to responses to a reply. Such an
arrangement provides a list display in a form comprehensible to the user.

[0315]With the technique according to the present embodiment, the
aforementioned file group is stored in a storage device which is
accessible via a network. Such an arrangement allows the user to easily
manage a bulletin board and a chat system without involving a dedicated
server.

THIRD EMBODIMENT

[0316]The third embodiment proposes a new technique for archiving multiple
files.

[0317]The present embodiment provides a technique for archiving and
distributing multiple files to other members. With the present
embodiment, the files to be archived are stored in a location provided
such that it can be accessed by other members, such as a computer, a
server, etc., connected to a network. Furthermore, an archive file, which
stores only the information that allows the user to access these files,
is created and distributed to other members. Such an arrangement allows
each of the other members who have acquired the archive file to acquire
his/her necessary file based upon the information stored in the archive
file. With conventional techniques, the files to be archived are grouped
into a single file, thereby creating an archive file. On the other hand,
the archive file proposed according to the present embodiment does not
include the contents of these files to be archived, but stores only the
information that indicates the method for acquiring these files. Such an
arrangement drastically reduces the size of the archive file to be
distributed.

[0318]FIG. 33 shows an overall configuration of a system including the
document processing apparatus 20 according to the third embodiment. A
file distribution system 3400 according to the third embodiment
comprises: a document distribution processing apparatus 20A which creates
an archive file as described above; and a document distribution
destination processing apparatus 20B which expands the archive file,
i.e., acquires the necessary files based upon the information stored in
the archive file. Also, the document distribution processing apparatus
20A and the document distribution destination processing apparatus 20B
are connected via a network to a document server 3420 that stores the
object files 3422a through 3422c which are to be archived. Here, the
document server 3420 is a server accessible from external devices such as
a file server, an ftp server, and a directory server. Also, the document
server 3420 may be included in the document distribution processing
apparatus 20A. Note that the number of object files 3422 is not
restricted to three. However, description will be made below regarding
three object files 3422.

[0319]Each of the document distribution processing apparatus 20A and the
document distribution destination processing apparatus 20B may include
all the functional blocks or a part of the functional blocks of the
document processing apparatus 20 described in the background technique
with reference to FIG. 1. Also, the document distribution processing
apparatus 20A and the document distribution destination processing
apparatus 20B may have the same configuration. Here, for convenience of
explanation, description will be made regarding only the functions
required for creating the archive file and the functions required for
expanding the archive file, which are respectively included in a document
distribution processing apparatus 20A and a document distribution
destination processing apparatus 20B. Similarly to FIG. 1, in terms of
hardware components, these unit structures may be realized by a CPU or
memory of any computer, a memory-loaded program, or the like. Here, the
drawing shows a functional block configuration which is realized by
cooperation between the hardware components and software components.
Thus, it would be understood by those skilled in this art that these
functional blocks can be realized in a variety of forms by hardware only,
software only or by a combination thereof.

[0320]The document distribution processing apparatus 20A includes: an
instruction reception unit 3412 which receives an archive instruction
from the user; and an archive file creating unit 3414 which creates an
archive file 3416 according to the instruction. On the other hand, the
document distribution destination processing apparatus 20B includes: an
archive file acquisition unit 3432 which acquires the archive file 3416
distributed by the document distribution processing apparatus 20A; and an
archive file expanding unit 3434 which acquires the necessary files based
upon the information stored in the archive file. The document
distribution destination processing apparatus 20B further includes:
memory 3436 which stores a definition file used for expanding the archive
file; and a hard disk 3438 which stores the object files 3422a through
3422c thus acquired.

[0321]Next, description will be made regarding the operation of the system
having the above-described configuration. First, the user inputs the file
information such as the names of the object files 3422a through 3422c,
the pathnames thereof, etc., to the instruction reception unit 3412,
thereby inputting an archive instruction. The instruction reception unit
3412 transmits the information with respect to the object files 3422a
through 3422c to the archive file creating unit 3414. Upon acquisition of
the file information, the archive file creating unit 3414 creates the
archive file 3416 that stores this information. The information stored in
the archive file 3416 may be the link information for the object files
3422a through 3422c, examples of which include: the pathnames and the
file names that indicate the locations that store the object files 3422a
through 3422c; URL; etc. Also, the link information may be specified a
protocol name such as "http://", "ftp://", etc. When the object files
3422a through 3422c stored in predetermined locations are archived, the
archive file creating unit 3414 acquires the pathnames of these object
files, and stores the pathnames thus acquired in the archive file 3416.
On the other hand, when the object files 3422a through 3422c stored
locally are archived, the archive file creating unit 3414 may duplicate
the object files 3422a through 3422c, and may store the duplicates on the
document server 3420 which is accessible by other members. With such an
arrangement, the pathnames of the location that stores the duplicates of
the object files may be stored in the archive file 3416.

[0322]Also, instead of creating the archive file 3416 for archiving the
multiple object files 3422a through 3422c, the archive file 3416 may be
created for integrating predetermined fragments included in the XML files
that serve as the object files 3422a through 3422c, for example. With
such an arrangement, the archive file 3416 stores the file information
for identifying the object files 3422a through 3422c to be archived, and
the information for identifying the fragments included in the object
files. Here, the fragment information may be described in XPath.

[0323]On the other hand, the document distribution destination processing
apparatus 20B has a function of expanding the archive file 3416 using the
integrating function provided by the definition file 3320 described in
the first and second embodiments. With such an arrangement, the main
document file that stores the key information for integrating the
document content corresponds to the archive file 3416, and, the
definition file 3320 that provides the integrating function corresponds
to expanding (decompression) software. That is to say, the archive file
3416 acquired by the archive file acquisition unit 3432 via an unshown
network or the like is expanded by the archive file expanding unit 3434
based upon the definition file 3320 stored in the memory 3436. The
definition file can specify a UI such as a menu etc., logic operations
such as a branching operation, etc. Such an arrangement allows such logic
operations to be executed in a step where the object files 3422a through
3422c thus archived are acquired. Examples of such logic operations
include an operation in which the object files 3422 to be acquired are
selected according to an environment. In such a way, the archive file
expanding unit 3434 acquires the object files 3422a through 3422c or the
fragments thereof from the document server 3420, and stores these files
or the fragments thereof on the hard disk 3438.

[0324]Let us consider an arrangement in which the integrating definition
file for integrating the object files 3422 is provided in the form of a
common file. With such an arrangement, the definition file 3320
preferably does not specify the aforementioned logic operations, and
preferably specifies only general functions. With such an arrangement,
also, another definition file or another document file that specifies
such logic operations to be executed in a expanding step may be included
in the object file group to be archived, for example. With such an
arrangement, the archive file 3416 may specify an instruction to include
the other definition file or the other document file in the definition
file 3320 and to execute the logic operations.

[0325]When the user gives an instruction to create the archive file 3416
for integrating the object files 3422 including the file names of other
files such as image files, audio files, etc, the archive file creating
unit 3414 may automatically store in the archive file 3416 the
information which indicates the locations at which the other files are
stored.

[0326]The technique according to the present embodiment has the advantage
of allowing the distributor of the archive file to manage the files which
are specified in the archive file and which can be acquired by each user,
in addition to the advantage of reducing the size of the archive file.
For example, when a file to be distributed is modified there is a need to
modify the archive file itself before it is distributed, with
conventional techniques. With the present embodiment, there is no need to
modify the archive file itself. Instead of the archive file itself being
modified, the file to be acquired is updated. Such an arrangement allows
the user to manage in a simple manner the version of the file which is to
be distributed. Furthermore, with such an arrangement, the decompression
definition file may specify the logic operations. Such an arrangement
allows the user to select the version of the file to be acquired.
Specifically, with such an arrangement, both an old version file and a
new version file are stored on the server. At the time of expanding the
archive file, the system inquires of the user which version the user
desires, thereby allowing the user to download the user's desired version
file.

[0327]Description has been made regarding the present invention with
reference to the embodiments. The above-described embodiments have been
described for exemplary purposes only, and are by no means intended to be
interpreted restrictively. Rather, it can be readily conceived by those
skilled in this art that various modifications may be made by making
various combinations of the aforementioned components or processes, which
are also encompassed in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0328]Description has been made in the above embodiments regarding an
arrangement for processing an XML document. Also, the document processing
apparatus 20 has a function of processing other markup languages, e.g.,
SGML, HTML, etc.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0329]The present invention can be applied to a data processing apparatus
which processes data structured using a markup language.

Patent applications by Toshinobu Kano, Tokushima JP

Patent applications by JUSTSYSTEMS CORPORATION

Patent applications in class DATABASE SCHEMA OR DATA STRUCTURE

Patent applications in all subclasses DATABASE SCHEMA OR DATA STRUCTURE